BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


-      97-78 


JOSEPH    SMITH. 


THE 

PROPHET  °F  PALMYRA 


MORMONISM 

Reviewed  and  Examined  in  the  Life,  Character,  and  Career  of  its  Founder, 
from  '"''Cumorah  Hill"  to  Carthage  Jail  and  the  Desert 


TOGETHER  WITH  A  COMPLETE 

HISTORY  OF  THE  MORMON  ERA 

In  Illinois,  and  an  Exhaustive  Investigation  of  the  "  Spalding 
Manuscript  "  Theory  of  the  Origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 


BY 

THOMAS    GREGG 


NEW  YORK 
JOHN  B.  ALDEN,  PUBLISHER 

1890 


r. 


Copyright,  1890, 

BY 

THOMAS    GREGG 


TO    THE    READER. 


MRS.  PADDOCK,  in  the  Preface  to  one  of  her 
remarkable  portrayals  of  the  inner  life  of  Mormon- 
ism,  has  the  following  paragraph  : 

"  Surely,  to-day,  whoever  inflicts  an  additional 
volume  upon  a  long-suffering  public,  ought  to  be 
able  to  set  up  an  unassailable  plea  in  justification 
thereof." 

While  this  is  true  in  a  general  sense,  it  is  doubly 
so  in  its  relation  to  that  band  of  people — knaves 
and  fanatics — who,  more  than  fifty  years  ago  began 
a  scheme  of  deception  in  New  York,  which,  in  its 
progress  since,  has  caused  so  much  misery  and 
crime  in  many  of  the  States,  and  now  aims  at 
insubordination  and  independence  in  Utah. 

Many  books  have  been  written  on  the  subject  of 
MOEMONISM  ;  some  of  them  honest,  trustworthy, 
and  valuable ;  others,  sensational  and  unreliable ; 
and  still  more,  utterly  unworthy.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing all  this,  the  great^  Christian  public  in 
America  and  abroad  remains  to-day  strangely 
indifferent  to,  and  ignorant  of,  the  origin,  character, 
and  purposes  of  the  miserable  fraud. 


vi  TO    THE    HEADER. 

The  undersigned  offers  no  apology  for  the  matter 
of  the  following  pages.  Content  with  his  purpose 
to  add  to  the  mass  of  credible  history,  and  to  aid 
in  exposing  a  most  silly  and  dangerous  delusion,  he 
leaves  it  with  an  intelligent  and  discerning  public, 
hoping  neither  to  escape  censure  nor  disarm  crit 
icism. 

TH.  GKEGG. 
Hamilton,  Illinois,  1889. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK    I. 
INTRODUCTORY.  *          1 

Solomon  Spalding — False  Prophets  in  all  Ages — Joseph  Smith, 
the  Founder  of  Mormonism — Compared  to  Mahomet — His 
Character  and  Aims — Origin  of  Mormonism — An  Over- 
shadowing Question. 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  IMPOSTURE.  -  9 
Disagreeing  Statements  —  Impossible  Claims  —  The  Smith 
Family — Ignorance  and  Superstition — The  Prophet's  Own 
Story — "History  of  Joseph  Smith" — The  Angel  Nephi — 
Plates  Revealed — The  Urim  and  Thummim — Second, 
Third,  and  Fourth  Visions — Hill  of  Cumorah — Stone  Box 
—The  Prophet's  Marriage — "Persecutions" — After  Four 
Years — Martin  Harris  and  the  Translation. 

CHAPTER     III. 

As  TOLD  BY  OTHERS.  25 

David  Whitmer,  One  of  the  Eleven  Witnesses — Interviewed 
by  the  Kansas  City  Journal. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

HIGHLY  INTERESTING  LETTER.  34 

Letter  from  Hon.  Stephen  S.  Harding,  former  Governor  of 
Utah  Territory  —  His  .Boyhood  Acquaintance  with  the 
Smith  Family. 

CHAPTER     V. 

Ex-Go VERNOR  HARDING' s  LETTER   CONTINUE®.        45 
Curious  Developments — Harris's  Frenzy — An  Incident  in  In- 
diana— In  Utah — Reflections,  Suggestions,  etc. 

CHAPTER    VI. 

PROFESSOR  ANTHON'S  STORY.  «       57 

A  Plain  Statement  which  Everybody  Can  Believe. 


viU  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VII. 

A  TERRIBLE  DILEMMA.  63 

Two  Revelations  and  their  Causes — Harris  and  Satan  Unjustly 
Accused — The  Real  Culprit  Unknown — A  Happy  Ruse 
Solves  the  Difficulty. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  STORY  AND  THE  BOOK  EXAMINED.       -       75 

Evidences  of  Falsity— The  Record— Its  Title—"  Confounding 

of  Language" — The  Nephite-Lamanite  Americans — Metal 

of  the  Plates — Plates  Still  Under  Ground — A  Bonanza — 

Mariner's  Compass — To  Work  by  Faith. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

EXAMINATION  CONTINUED.  85 

A  Story  for  Ship-Builders — A  Year's  Voyage — Eight  Wonder- 
ful Barges — An  Electric  Light — The  Land  of  Promise — 
War  a  Pastime— A  Great  Battle— Words  of  Isaiah— Beasts 
in  the  Promised  Land — Remarkable  Translation. 

CHAPTER    X. 
REVIEW  CONTINUED.  96 

Testimony  of  Three  Witnesses— Also  of  Eight  Witnesses— 
"What  More  Need  be  Said?"— Death  to  Behold  the 
Plates— A  Box  of  Brickbats  —  Testimony  Analyzed  — 
Smith's  Ipse  Dixit — Collusion  or  Deception — Testimony 
Invalid  —  Strang's  Failure — Laban's  Sword  and  Lehi's 
Directors. 

CHAPTER    XI. 

FURTHER  REVELATIONS  AND  LABORS.  -  107 
The  World's  Redemption  at  Hand — Harris  Obstinate,  but 
Yields — He  Sees  Money  in  It — Revelations  Continue — 
Church  Discipline  —  Sidney  Rigdon's  Hand  Manifest — 
A  New  Statement  Concerning  Him — Church  Organized 
—  Calvin  Stoddard's  Conversion  —  "  Support "  for  the 
Prophet — No.  1  Provided  For — The  Elect  Lady — Rigdon 
Converted— Takes  High  Rank— P.  P.  Pratt— Zion  Estab- 
lished—  Fanatical  Excesses — Smith  and  Cowdery  Bap- 
tized. 

CHAPTER    XII. 

STAKE    PLANTING.          -       -       121 

Translation  of  the  Scriptures  —  Reasons  for  It — Translation 
Suspended — The  First  Hegira — Cowdery' s  Mission  a  Fail- 
ure— The  Stake  at  Kirtland — Another  in  Missouri — Expe- 
dition Thither*— Ezra  Booth's  Secession — Zion  Located — 
An  Organ  Established — The  Expulsion — A  Crusade  and 
its  Termination. 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

AN  ANTI-BANKING  BANK.        -       -       133 
Rigdon  President,  Smith  Cashier — Notes  Issued — No  Redemp- 
tion—Pittsburgh Bankers— Bank  Breaks— Flight  of  Its 
Officers—  The  Kirtland  Stake  Abandoned. 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

FURTHER  STAKE  PLANTING.        -       -       138 
Adam-ondi-Ahmon,  Far  West,  and  Others — Apostasy  Shows 
its  Head — The  Danites — War  and  Violence — Mobs  and 
Banishment. 

CHAPTER    XV. 

ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.        -        149 
Exodus  from  Missouri  and  First  Appearance  in  Illinois — 
Remarks — The  Situation. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

IMMIGRATION  AND  SETTLEMENT.    -       -        156 
Status  in  Illinois— The  New  City— Mission  to  Washington- 
Governor    Lucas's    Letter — Great  Church  Conference — 
Mission  to  the  Jews  in  Europe  and  Asia — Call  to  the 
Faithful. 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

PROGRESS  AND  POLITICS.  -  -  164 
First  Great  Error — Presidential  Election  of  1840 — How  Will 
the  Prophet  Vote? — Whig  Convention — Nominations — A 
Disgraceful  Act — Little  and  Douglas — Dr.  Charles — The 
Charters — Their  Character — Organizations — John  C.  Ben- 
nett—The Warsaw  Signal— Smith  Offended— His  Char- 
acteristic Letter — The  Times  and  Seasons. 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

AN  ANTI-MORMON  PARTY.         -       -       175 
Unworthy  Sycophancy — A  Growing  Apprehension  —  Public 
Meetings  —  An    Anti-Mormon    Party  —  Its    Candidates 
Elected — Thomas  Ford  for  Governor — The  Wasp. 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  NAUVOO  TEMPLE.  -       -        181 

Temple  Building— At  Nauvoo— Corner-Stone  Laid— Revela- 
tion Demanding  It  — Also  a  "Boarding  House"— The 
"Nauvoo  House"  Unfinished— Stockholders  Named  by 
Revelation. 

CHAPTER    XX. 

MUCH  ADO  ABOUT  THEFT.        -       -        189 
Hyrum  Smith's  Affidavit— And  the  Twelve— Brother  Joseph's 
Affidavit  and  Proclamation —The  Court-Martial  and  ail  the 
Generals. 


x  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.  -        196 

Arrest  of  Smith  at  Quincy,  1841— Trial  Before  Judge  Douglas 
— Discharge — Attempted  Assassination  of  Governor  Boggs 
of  Missouri— O.  P.  Rockwell  Charged  with  the  Crime— 
New  Demand  for  Smith  and  Rockwell — Arrest  in  Nauvoo 
— Habeas  Corpus  Applied  by  the  Municipal  Court — Ford's 
Statement — Re-arrest  and  Trial  Before  Judge  Pope  and 
Discharge — The  Writs,  etc. 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
MORE  HABEAS  CORPUS  WORK.  -        206 

Another  Indictment  and  Demand — Congressional  Canvass — 
Walker  and  Hoge — Arrest  Near  Dixon — Great  Excitement 
—The  Officers  Prisoners— The  Prophet  Triumphant— A 
Strange  Cavalcade  —  Another  Habeas  Corpus  —  Lawyer 
Southwick's  Statement — Result  of  the  Canvass — "Brother 
Hyrum's"  Revelation— Walker  Defeated. 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
Two  WAYS  OF  TELLING  A  STORY.  218 

Story  of  the  Arrest,  as  Told  by  Two— The  Prophet's  Story— 
The  Officer's  Story. 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 
A  STORM -CLOUD  RISES.      -        -        223 

Quarrel  Between  the  Chiefs— General  Bennett's  Defection — 
Charges  and  Denials — Bennett  Accepts  the  "Buffetings" 
and  Leaves— His  Letters  to  the  Sangamo  Journal — Tes- 
timonials Pro  and  Con. 

CHAPTER    XXV. 
A  PRESIDENTIAL  CANDIDATE.     -       -        232 

For  President  of  the  United  States,  General  Joseph  Smith,  of 
Illinois — For  Vice-President,  Sidney  Rigdon,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

AN  IMPENDING  CRISIS.  -       -       235 

Rumblings  of  a  Volcano — A  Secession  Organized — An  Opposi- 
tion Church — A  Newspaper  "Nuisance"  Abated. 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 
A   STRANGE   DOCUMENT.  -       245 

Showing  the  Reasons  Why — Nauvoo  Neighbor  Extra — Recit- 
ing Action  of  the  City  Council  Regarding  the  Expositor 
Nuisance — Official. 


CONTEXTS.  xi 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

THE  ATONEMENT.        ...       269 

Great  Excitement — Writs  Procured— Public  Meetings — Citi- 
zens Arming — The  Governor  Appealed  to — Arrives  at 
Carthage  and  Takes  Command — Mayor  and  Council  of 
Nauvoo  Summoned  —  Arrested,  but  Fail  to  Appear  — 
Finally  Came  in  and  Surrendered — Released  on  Bail — Re- 
arrested  for  Treason — Governor's  Definition  of  Treason — 
Marches  with  a  Small  Force  to  the  City— The  Smiths 
Killed  in  Jail— Great  Consternation. 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 
How  THE  DEED  WAS  DONE.      -       -       281 

Effect  of  the  Panic— Governor  Ford's  Plan  Revealed— Atttack 
on  the  Jail  by  the  Mob— The  Prophet  and  His  Brother 
Killed— How  it  was  Done— Purposes  of  the  Mob— Willard 
Richard's  Statement. 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

ARRESTS,  INDICTMENTS,  AND  TRIALS.      -        293 

Military  Encampment  Called  — The  Wolf  Hunt  —  Governor 
Ford  Interferes — Brings  Another  Force — March  to  Nauvoo 
— To  Warsaw — Joseph  H.  Jackson — Indictments — Trials 
of  the  Prisoners — Found  Not  Guilty. 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

STRUGGLE  FOR  THE  SUCCESSION.  -       303 

Sidney  Rigdon — Brigham  Young — Parley  P.  Pratt  —  Orson 
Pratt — William  Smith — Orson  Hyde — James  J.  Strang — 
An  Ecclesiastical  Trial— Hyde  on  Rigdon. 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 
A  NEW  PROPHET— JAMES  J.  STRANG.      -       312 

Strang' s  Claim  to  the  Succession— His  Revelation— Sets  up  at 
Yoree— He,  too,  Finds  Plates— His  Arrogance  and  Pre- 
tensions— Arrested  for  Treason — Tried  and  Acquitted — 
A  Polygamist  — His  Violent  Death  — Fate  of  Mormon 
Prophets. 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 
MORE  VIOLENCE  AND  BLOODSHED.         -       320 

Three  Obnoxious  Officials— Arrest  of  Senator  Davis— Nauvoo 
Charter  Repealed — Increase  of  Crime — Murder  of  Miller 
and  Leiza— Of  Irvine  Hodge— Of  Colonel  Davenport— Of 
Dr.  Marshall— Death  of  Sheriff  Deming  —  Burning  of  Mor- 
ley-Town  —  Killing  of  Lieutenant  Worrell— Of  McBratney 
— Of  Wilcox  and  Daubenheyer — Incidents  of  the  Burning 
— Arrival  of  Colonel  Hardin  with  State  Troops. 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

NINE  COUNTIES  INTERFERE — THE  END  APPROACHING.      334 

Colonel  Hardin  and  His  Advisers — Major  Warren  Left  in  Com- 
mand— Convention  of  Nine  Counties — Browning's  Resolu- 
tions— Action  of  the  Convention — Correspondence  with 
the  Mormon  Leaders — The  Inevitable  Accepted. 

CHAPTER    XXXV. 

THE  EXODUS  BEGUN.  -  -  342 
Active  Preparations  for  Leaving — Crossing  into  Iowa — Major 
Warren  and  His  Force — Disbanded  and  Re-mustered — O. 
P.  Rockwell— Arrest,  Trial,  and  Acquittal— Dr.  Pickett— 
Posse  Called  Out— Major  Parker's  Force— War  of  Procla- 
mations— Posse  under  Carlin — Singleton's  Peace — Resigns 
the  Command  —  Major  Brockman  Succeeds  —  Advance 
toward  the  City. 

CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

A  BATTLE — A  TREATY — AND  THE  END.     -       353 

Warsaw  Signal's  Report  of  the   Battle — Quincy  Committee 

of  One  Hundred  — A  Truce— The  City  Surrenders  —  The 

Treaty— The   Killed  and  Wounded— More  Trouble  and 

More  Troops — Reflections. 

CHAPTER    XXXVII. 
THE  EXODUS — THE  DESERT  AND  WILDERNESS.       363 

Brigham  Young's  Choice — En-route  Westward — Kanesville — 
"Winter  Quarters"— Colonel  Kane's  Description— Mis- 
souri Republican  Correspondent — The  Mormon  Battalion 
— Brigham  Assumes  Supreme  Power — Pushes  on  to  Salt 
Lake  and  Returns — Main  Bftdy  Reaches  the  Valley — Stake 
Planted — State  of  Deseret. 

CHAPTER     XXXVIII. 

THE  MORMON  TEMPLES.  -        380 

The  Kirtland  Temple — In  Missouri — At  Nauvoo — Its  Destruc- 
tion by  Fire — The  Baptismal  Font — Important  Decision 
in  Ohio. 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 
THE  "RECONSTRUCTED"  MORMON  CHURCH.         388 

CHAPTER    XL. 

POLYGAMY  AND  THE  BLOOD  ATONEMENT.  394 

The  Twin  Evils  of  Mormonism  —  Polygamy  in  Utah  —  De- 
nounced by  the  "Reconstructed" — Originated  by  the 
Prophet — Proofs  Adduced — Blood  Atonement  Defined  by 
Young — Known  in  Missouri  and  Illinois — Smith  and 
Rigdon  Its  Authors. 


CONTENTS.  riii 

CHAPTER    XLI. 

THE  SPALDING  ROMANCE.        -       -       408 
Review  of  the  Situation— Dr.  Hurlbut  and  E.  D.  Howe— Their 
'  Book  Mormonism   Unveiled — Solomon  Spalding's  Manu- 
script Found — Efforts  to  Obtain  It — Recent  Statements 
Concerning  It. 

CHAPTER    XLIL 

STATEMENTS  OF  THE  SPALDING  FAMILY.    -        417 
Mrs.   Davison's    Statement — Denied  by  the  Mormons — Mrs. 
Dickinson's    Publication   in   Scribner's  Magazine — J.   E. 
Johnson  in  Deseret  News — Disagreeing  Statements. 

CHAPTER    XLIII. 

THE  SPALDING  WITNESSES.        -       -       431 
Statement  of  John  Spalding— Of  Martha  Spalding— Of  Henry 
Lake — John    N.  Miller — Aaron  Wright — Oliver    Smith — 
Nahum  Howard — Artemus  Cunningham. 

CHAPTER    XLIV. 

LATER  TESTIMONY.  -  -  441 
Mr.  Cooper  in  Cincinnati  Gazette — Joseph  Miller's  Letter 
-rrAbner  Jackson's  Narrative  —  "Mere  Supposition"  vs. 
"God-Given  Testimony  "—Resume  of  Testimony— The 
Book's  Proper  Title— Mr.  Patterson— Rev.  J.  Winter— 
Rigdon's  Hand  Manifest. 

CHAPTER    XLV. 

AFTER  FIFTY  YEARS.  -        -       458 

A  Strange  Discovery — A  Spalding  Manuscript  Found  in  Hon- 
olulu— A  God-Send  to  the  Mormons — False  Impression — 
Not  the  Manuscript  Found — Of  No  Historic  Value — De- 
scription and  Comments  on  MS.  at  Oberlin  College — 
Eloquent  Reference  to  Spalding's  Work. 

CHAPTER    XLVI. 
THE  NAUVOO  CHARTER.          -       -       463 

CHAPTER    XLVII. 
SOME  OF  THE  CITY  ORDINANCES.          -       472 

CHAPTER     XLVIII. 
CELEBRATED  "CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE"  REVELATION.     478 

CHAPTER    XLIX. 

MISCELLANEOUS  AND  ANECDOTAL.          -       489 

The  Kinderhook  Plates— Titles  of  the  Twelve— The  Prophet 

as  a  Linguist — Some  Mormon  Methods — The  Prophet  and 

Church  as  Land  Speculators — A  Story  from  Stenhouse — 

Bishop  John  D.  Lee— The  "Corrected"  Holy  Scriptures. 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

APPENDIX. 

The  Leaders  in  the  Revolt  at  Nauvoo,  -                           503 

Governor  West  and  the  Polygamists,  -                       -          518 

A  Characteristic  Document,     -  528 

Mrs.  Emma  Smith's  Letter,  -           .            .          537 

The  Mormons  or  Latter-Day  Saints,     -  -                            539 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Joseph  Smith,  -  Frontispiece. 

Oliver  Cowdery,    -  98 

David  Whitmer,          ...  -       98 

Martin  Harris,         .....  98 

P.P.Pratt,       -                      -  -      116 

The  Temple  at  Nauvoo,     -  181 

Hyrum  Smith,  -                                 -           -  -      189 

Major-General  John  C.  Bennett,   -  224 

The  Scene  of  Smith's  Death,  -  •      284 

Brigham  Young      .....  304 

Baptismal  Font,                                  -  -      382 

Ruins  of  the  Temple  at  Nauvoo,   -                       -  384 

Fac-simile  from  the  so-called  "  Book  of  Abraham,"  492 


The  Prophet  of  Palmyra. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

SOLOMON  SPALDING — FALSE  PROPHETS  IN  ALL  AGES — JOSEPH 
SMITH,  THE  FOUNDER  OF  MORMONISM  —  COMPARED  TO 
MAHOMET — His  CHARACTER  AND  AIMS — ORIGIN  OF  MOR- 
MONISM— AN  ABSORBING  QUESTION. 

POOR,  unfortunate,  somewhat  unbalanced,  yet 
honest  and  well-  meaning  SOLOMON  SPALDING  ! 
His  name  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  the  inno- 
cent originator  of  one  of  the  most  stupendous  and 
wicked  frauds  ever  perpetrated  upon  the  world. 
Had  he  lived  to  witness  the  result  of  his  work — 
work  in  which  he  took  so  much  delight  and  spent 
so  many  days  of  his  life — his  gray  head  would 
have  been  bowed  down  with  sorrow.  But  he  was 
kindly  spared  the  infliction.  He  died  in  1816, 
and  the  fraud  perpetrated  upon  his  work  and  his 
good  name  was  not  committed  till  some  ten  or 
twelve  years  after  he  had  been  laid  peacefully  in 
his  grave.  The  story  of  his  connection  with  the 
Mormon  scheme  will  be  fully  told  in  future  chap- 
ters of  this  work. 


2  THE   PROPHET    OP   PALMYEA. 

Prophets  have  flourished  ever  since  the  world 
was  peopled.  But,  unfortunately  for  the  world, 
many  of  them  have  been  false  prophets ;  and 
prophesying,  instead  of  being  a  vehicle  of  God's 
will  to  man,  has  been  used  for  base  and  selfish 
ends  and  purposes,  and  to  impose  on  the  credulous 
and  unwary.  People  of  every  age  have  been  prone 
to  run  after  false  prophets.  Hence  the  boldest > 
most  daring  and  unscrupulous  among  them — he 
who  has  put  on  the  most  sanctity  and  arrogated  to 
himself  the  highest  authority — has  generally  been 
the  most  successful.  As  a  rule,  their  careers  have 
been  short  and  their  influence  limited.  The  claims 
and  pretensions  of  a  few,  however,  have  wrought 
great  evil  upon  the  world,  and  added  many  dark 
and  bloody  pages  to  its  history.  One,  and  not  the 
least  of  these,  will  be  the  subject  of  these  pages. 
That  such  a  career  as  was  his,  with  such  remark- 
able results  following,  could  be  run  in  this  en- 
lightened Nineteenth  Century,  and  in  a  land  where 
Christianity  and  Civilization  have  shed  their  benign 
rays,  is  a  mystery  which  the  writer  prefers  to  leave 
his  readers  to  solve. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1844,  was  killed  by  a  mob 
at  the  jail  in  Carthage,  Hancock  County,  Illinois, 
JOSEPH  SMITH,  the  founder  of  the  sect  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints,  and  who  claimed  to  have  been  divinely 
commissioned  as  a  "Prophet,  Seer,  andRevelator," 


INTRODUCTORY.  3 

Born  in  the  State  of  Vermont,  reared  in  Western 
New  York,  residing  three  or  four  years  in  Ohio, 
about  as  long  in  Missouri,  and  over  five  years  in 
Illinois,  he  had  adopted  a  policy  which  made  him 
inimical  to  the  people  everywhere,  and  finally 
brought  him  to  a  violent  and  bloody  death. 

Parallels  to  this  man's  remarkable  career  have 
been  sought  in  history.  It  has  been  likened  to 
that  of  Mahomet.  When  at  Mecca,  in  Arabia,  the 
great  founder  of  Islamism  began  his  eventful  career, 
he  was  doubtless  honest  in  his  purposes,  which 
were  to  reform  and  improve  the  idolatrous  worship 
of  his  people.  But  he  was  an  enthusiast  and  a 
fanatic.  With  an  ardent  temperament  and  a  rest- 
less and  uneasy  spirit,  he  could  not  brook  opposi- 
tion. His  efforts  met  first  with  neglect,  then  ridi- 
cule and  contumely,  and  finally  with  resistance  and 
violence.  Friends  and  neighbors  turned  to  ene- 
mies, and  their  opposition  increased  till  he  was 
compelled  to  fly  from  his  native  city  to  save  his 
life.  The  vindictive  persecution  and  violence  to 
which  he  was  subjected,  changed  the  character  of 
the  man,  and  henceforth  revenge  and  ambition  be- 
came his  ruling  passions. 

But  his  career,  in  whatever  light  it  may  be  re- 
garded, was  a  most  remarkable  one.  Living 
amongst  the  idolatries  of  the  Pagan,  Jewish,  and 
Christian  systems,  in  one  of  the  darkest  of  the 


4  THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

Dark  Ages  of  the  world,  he  built  up  a  system, 
which,  to  say  the  least,  was  superior  to,  and  an 
improvement  upon,  anything  by  which  he  was  sur- 
rounded. His  successes  were  unprecedented  in 
the  world's  history.  During  his  own  lifetime  and 
that  of  his  faithful  friend  and  co-worker,  Abou- 
Bekir,  his  creed,  through  his  zeal — aided  by  the 
sword  and  scimiter,  potent  agents  in  the  work  of 
propagandism  in  all  ages — had  become  the  recog- 
nized faith  through  all  Arabia,  and  was  fast  under- 
mining all  the  other  systems  about  him. 

The  curious  career  of  the  Prophet  of  Mormonism 
has  sometimes  been  contrasted  with  that  of  this 
great  leader.  But  the  contrast  affords  but  slight 
parallel.  When  "Joe  Smith" — as  the  Mormon 
Prophet  was  always  designated  in  his  youth  (a  title 
which  stuck  to  him  through  life) — began  his  career 
at  Palmyra  in  the  State  of  New  York,  his  motives 
were  not  honest,  nor  was  he  prompted  by  either 
revenge  or  ambition.  His  untutored  and  feeble  in- 
tellect had  not  yet  grasped  at  anything  beyond 
mere  toying  with  mysterious  things.  It  is  evident 
that  he  had  at  first  no  higher  purpose  in  view.  He 
was  one  of  those  indolent  and  illiterate  young  men, 
too  numerous  in  all  communities,  who  hope  to  shun 
honest  labor,  and  who  have  imbibed  the  pernicious 
doctrine  embraced  in  the  phrase :  < « The  world 
owes  me'a  living."  Any  means  that  would  enable 


INTRODrCTORY.  5 

him  to  obtain  that  living  he  was  ready  to  employ. 
Hence  we  find  him  at  an  early  age,  trying  his  skill 
at  little  tricks  to  impose  on  the  credulity  of  his 
ignorant  associates.  As  he  grew  in  years,  search- 
ing for  lost  treasure  became  one  of  his  favorite 
employments ;  for  was  it  not  better,  he  reasoned, 
to  obtain  the  golden  thousands  from  the  nooks  and 
crevices  of  the  earth,  where  Captain  Kidd  and  the 
pirates  and  robbers  had  secreted  them,  and  live  in 
ease  and  idleness,  than  to  obtain  a  small  com- 
petency by  the  slow  and  uncertain  processes  of 
honest  labor?  And  thus  he  plodded  on,  till  ac- 
cident opened  a  new  career  for  him.  A  petty  theft, 
by  himself  or  one  of  his  co-workers,  placed  the 
Spalding  '  *  Manuscript  Found  "  in  his  hands  ;  and 
then  it  was  that  the  idea  of  a  new  sect,  a  new  creed, 
a  new  and  deeper  play  upon  popular  ignorance 
and  credulity,  and  consequent  power,  and  place, 
and  fortune,  were  gradually  developed  and  boldly 
and  persistently  and  most  wickedly  carried  for- 
ward— aided  by  confederates  as  bad  as  himself  and 
with  similar  purposes  in  view. 

No ;  the  character  and  aims  of  these  two  false 
prophets  afford  but  slight  parallel ;  in  their  suc- 
cessful career,  a  stronger  resemblance  is  to  be 
traced. 

MORMONISM  had  its  origin  and  incipient  growth 
in  Western  New  York,  where  it  attracted  little  at- 


6  THE   PROPHET   OF    PALMYRA. 

tention  beyond  the  ridicule  of  sensible  people  and 
the  gaping  wonder  of  a  few  seekers  after  the  new 
and  the  marvellous — and  it  sought  fresh  fields.  In 
Northern  Ohio  it  gained  strength  by  contact  with 
the  world ;  and  there,  too,  its  leaders  made  the 
discovery  that  the  way  to  notoriety  and  success 
was  to  create  opposition ;  and  an  aggressive  policy 
was  boldly  adopted,  and  aggressive  tenets  en- 
grafted into  the  creed.  In  North  Missouri  it  in- 
creased greatly  in  strength ;  but  in  its  violent  con- 
tests with  its  neighbors  and  the  authorities,  it 
became  dismembered  a»d  broken,  and  was  finally 
violently  expelled  from  the  State.  Poor,  dis- 
heartened, and  scattered — its  prophet  and  some 
other  leaders  in  prison — all  of  its  members  who 
could  muster  courage  and  means  made  their  way 
eastward  across  the  State  to  Illinois,  where  their 
forlorn  condition  attracted  the  sympathy  and  aid 
of  all  classes  of  people.  Settling  in  the  latter 
State,  at  Commerce,  in  Hancock  county,  in  time 
the  same  aggressive  policy  was  pursued ;  and  after 
eight  years  of  arrogant  pretension,  active  prose- 
lytism,  and  stupendous  folly,  it  met  the  fate  it  had 
encountered  in  Missouri,  together  with  the  loss  of 
its  daring  prophet  and  leader.  Later,  under  an 
equally  daring  and  more  able  successor,  it  sought 
isolation  and  a  home  among  the  rugged  crags  and 
mountains  and  fertile  valleys  of  Utah-r— where  it 


INTROD  rCTOP  Y.  7 

has  for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  increased  in 
an  astonishing  degree,  and  developed  into  what 
it  now  is,  an  ugly  and  troublesome  excrescence  on 
the  body  politic,  and  a  disgrace  to  the  nation  and 
to  civilization. 

While  the  « « Latter-Day  Saints "  remained  in 
Ohio,  Missouri,  or  Illinois,  the  "  Mormon  Ques- 
tion "  was  only  one  of  local  or  State  concern.  But 
since  they  have  withdrawn  to  the  wilderness,  and 
there  within  the  territory  and  under  the  jurisdiction 
and  flag  of  the  United  States,  have  assumed  an  in- 
dependent position  and  arrayed  themselves  in  open 
hostility  to  the  government,  the  matter  takes  a 
new  shape.  From  a  State  problem  it  has  advanced 
to  a  National  one,  and  one  that  is  daily  becoming 
of  greater  magnitude,  now  seriously  agitating  the 
minds  of  the  best  statesmen  of  our  country. 

It  bids  fair  to  overshadow  all  other  social  ques- 
tions. It  is  therefore  highly  important  and  neces- 
sary that  the  reading  public  should  be  fully  in- 
formed, not  only  as  to  what  Mormonism  now  is, 
but  made  acquainted  with  the  origin,  history  and 
development  of  this  the  most  wicked  and  dangerous 
folly  of  the  Nineteenth  Century,  and  with  the  life, 
character,  and  purposes  of  its  founders.  Such  is 
the  task  before  us,  and  to  which  these  efforts  are 
directed. 

The  term    "Mormonism"   is  a  coinage  of  the 


8  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

present  century.  It  is  derived  from  the  name  of 
one  of  the  chief  writers  of  the  so-called  Book  of 
Mormon  (though  why  after  Mormon,  rather  than 
Nephi,  Moroni,  Alma,  Enos,  or  Lehi,  it  would  be 
hard  to  tell) — a  silly  and  little  worthy,  but  in  the 
eyes  of  its  deluded  believers,  the  most  sacred  of  all 
books.  It  is  less  interesting  and  far  feebler  than 
the  Koran,  the  holy  book  of  Islam.  Its  chief  in- 
gredients are  ignorance  and  arrogance,  and  it 
abounds  in  blasphemy ;  it  is  full  of  falsehood,  in- 
justice toward  man  and  impiety  toward  God.  To 
accept  the  claims  and  adopt  the  teachings  of  its 
chief  adherents,  is  to  eschew  holiness  and  good- 
ness, and  to  dethrone  the  Almighty. 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  IMPOSTUHE.      9 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    BEGINNINGS    OF    THE    IMPOSTURE. 

} 

DISAGREEING  STATEMENTS — IMPOSSIBLE  CLAIMS — THE  SMITH 
FAMILY — IGNORANCE  AND  SUPERSTITION — THE  PROPHET'S 
OWN  STORY — "HISTORY  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH" — THE  ANGEL 
NEPHI — PLATES  REVEALED— THE  URLM  AND  THUMMLM — 
SECOND,  THIRD,  AND  FOURTH  VISIONS— HILL  OF  CUMORAH 
— STONE  Box — THE  PROPHET'S  MARRIAGE — "  PERSECU- 
TIONS"— AFTER  FOUR  YEARS — MARTIN  HARRIS  AND  THE 
TRANSLATION. 

IN*  the  matter  of  the  early  life  of  JOSEPH  SMITH 
there  is  great  contrariety  of  statement.  The  testi- 
mony of  the  Smith  family,  and  of  his  faithful 
believers,  goes  to  show  that  he  was  a  most  exem- 
plary youth,  truthful,  without  guile,  and  ever  seek- 
ing for  the  highest  religious  truth.  As  this  is  the 
testimony  of  interested  witnesses  only,  we  are 
bound  to  reject  it  for  that  of  his  neighbors,  who, 
with  great  unanimity,  tell  a  far  different  story — 
that  he  was  indolent,  ignorant,  untruthful,  and 
superstitious. 

This  counter-testimony  has  been  obtained  from 
a  great  many  sources — people  in  several  sections  of 
the  country  where  he  was  best  known,  and  some 
of  whom,  in  high  standing,  are  still  living  to  re- 
affirm statements  made  long  ago  by  themselves  and 


TO  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

others,  and  who  could  have  no  reason  for  falsifying 
or  traducing  his  character.  Coupled  with  much  of 
his  conduct  after  he  had  reached  years  of  mature 
manhood,  it  furnishes  irresistible  proof  that  his 
youth  was  such  as  would  render  it  preposterous 
and  impossible  that  he  should  have  been  selected 
through  divine  agency  to  carry  a  God-given  reve- 
lation to  mankind  and  lead  in  a  great  reformation. 
To  adopt  any  other  theory  would  require  that  we 
should  accept  entirely  new  ideas  of  God's  provi- 
dence and  of  divine  things. 

The  Smith  family  to  which  he  belonged  was  of 
Yankee  origin ;  Joseph,  the  elder,  having  removed 
from  Vermont  to  Western  New  York  when  that 
country  was  new  and  sparsely  settled.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  Ignorance 
and  superstition  seem  to  have  been  traits  in  the 
family.  The  district  in  which  they  had  resided  in 
Vermont,  had  for  several  years  been  the  home  of 
an  arrant  pretender  to  supernatural  things,  living 
upon  the  credulity  of  the  people,  and  who  had 
committed  gross  crimes  under  the  plea  of  religious 
inspiration — crimes  which  he  afterwards  expiated 
in  the  State's  prison.*  Some  of  the  practices  of 
the  Mormon  Prophet  in  after  years,  in  New  York 
and  elsewhere,  show  a  remarkable  resemblance  to 
the  doings  of  this  Vermont  pretender,  leading  to 
*  Stephen  Burrows. 


TJTE  BKffTNXTNGS  OF  TJIE  IMPOSTURE.    11 

the    conclusion  that  he   must   have   been   at  least 
familiar  with  them. 

~Mv.  E.  D.  Howe,  in  his  valuable  work,  Mor- 
monism  Unveiled  (Painesville,  Ohio,  1834),  pre- 
sents the  testimonials  of  eighty-one  persons, 
neighbors  and  acquaintances  of  the  Smith  family, 
all  attesting  to  their  illiteracy  and  generally  worth- 
less and  disreputable  character,  especially  that  of 
the  son  "Joe,"  as  he  was  called.  Among  the 
most  damaging  of  these  statements,  perhaps,  is  that 
of  Isaac  Hale,  of  Harmony,  Pa.,  whose  daughter 
the  would-be  prophet  married.  These  testimonials, 
it  will  be  remembered,  were  obtained  in  1833, 
only  three  years  after  the  Book  of  Mormon  ap- 
peared, mid  after  the  Smiths  had  left  Palmyra  and 
Manchester,  where  most  of  these  certifiers  resided. 

The  prophet's  own  story  of  his  early  life,  and 
the  manner  in  which  he  was  called  to  the  high 
position  he  claimed  to  occupy,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
third  volume  of  the  Times  and  Seasons,  the  organ 
of  the  Mormon  Church  at  Nauvoo,  of  which  he  was 
editor — page  706.  It  purported  to  have  been  pre- 
pared at  the  request  of  Hon.  John  "Went worth, 
editor  of  the  Chicago  Democrat.  A  few  of  the 
leading  paragraphs  were  also  contributed  to,  and 
are  to  be  found  in,  a  volume  entitled,  History  of 
the  Religious  Denominations  of  the  United  States, 


12  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

published  in  Philadelphia.     The  more  important 
portions  are  herewith  given  : 

JOSEPH  SMITH'S  STATEMENT. 

"I  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sharon,  Windsor 
county,  Vermont,  on  the  23d  of  December,  1805. 
When  ten  years  old  my  parents  removed  to  Pal- 
myra, N.  Y.,  where  we  resided  about  four  years, 
and  from  there  we  removed  to  the  town  of  Man- 
chester, a  distance  of  six  miles. 

* « My  father  was  a  farmer,  and  taught  me  the 
art  of  husbandry.  When  about  fourteen  years  of 
age,  I  began  to  reflect  upon  the  importance  of  being 
prepared  for  a  future  state,  and  upon  inquiring  the 
plan  of  salvation,  I  found  there  was  a  great  clash 
in  religious  sentiment ;  if  I  went  to  one  society 
they  referred  me  to  one  plan,  and  another  to  an- 
other, each  one  pointing  to  his  own  particular 
creed  as  the  summum  bonum  of  perfection.  Con- 
sidering that  all  could  not  be  right,  and  that  God 
could  not  be  the  author  of  so  much  confusion,  I 
determined  to  investigate  the  subject  more  fully, 
believing  that  if  God  had  a  church  it  would  not  be 
split  up  into  factions,  and  that  if  He  taught  one 
society  to  worship  one  wray,  and  administer  in  one 
set  of  ordinances,  He  would  not  teach  another  prin- 
ciples which  were  diametrically  opposed.  Believ- 
ing the  word  of  God,  I  had  confidence  in  the 
declaration  of  James  :  *  If  any  man  lack  wisdom, 
let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  men  liberally 
and  upbraideth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him.' 

"  I  retired  to  a  secret  place  in  a  grove,  and  began 
to  call  upon  the  Lord.  While  fervently  engaged 
in  supplication,  my  mind  was  taken  away  from  the 
objects  with  which  I  was  surrounded,  and  I  was 
enrapt  in  a  heavenly  vision,  and  saw  two  glorious 
personages  who  exactly  resembled  each  other  in 
features  and  likeness,  surrounded  by  a  brilliant 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  IMPOST  CRE.    13 

light  which  eclipsed  the  sun  at  noon-day.  They 
told  me  that  all  the  religious  denominations  were 
believing  in  incorrect  doctrines,  and  that  none  of 
them  were  acknowledged  of  God  as  His  Church 
and  Kingdom.  And  I  was  expressly  commanded 
'  to  go  not  after  them,'  at  the  same  time  receiving 
a  promise  that  the  fulness  of  the  gospel  should  at 
some  future  time  be  made  known  to  me. 

'«  On  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  September,  A.D. 
1823,  while  I  was  praying  unto  God,  and  endeav- 
oring to  exercise  faith  in  the  precious  promises  of 
Scripture,  on  a  sudden  a  light  like  that  of  day,  only 
of  a  far  purer  and  more  glorious  appearance  and 
brightness,  burst  into  the  room ;  indeed,  the  first 
sight  was  as  though  the  house  was  filled  with  con- 
suming fire.  The  appearance  produced  a  shock 
that  affected  the  whole  body.  In  a  moment  a  per- 
sonage stood  before  me,  surrounded  with  a  glory  yet 
greater  than  that  with  which  I  was  already  sur- 
rounded. The  messenger  proclaimed  himself  to  be 
an  angel  of  God,  sent  to  bring  the  joyful  tidings 
that  the  covenant  which  God  made  with  ancient 
Israel  was  at  hand  to  be  fulfilled ;  that  the  prepara- 
tory work  for  the  second  coming  of  the  Messiah 
was  speedily  to  commence ;  that  the  time  was  at 
hand  for  the  gospel  in  all  its  fulness,  to  be  preached 
in  power  unto  all  nations,  that  the  people  might  be 
prepared  for  the  millennial  reign. 

"  I  was  informed  that  I  was  chosen  to  be  an  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  God  to  bring  about  some 
of  his  purposes  in  this  glorious  dispensation. 

"  I  was  informed,  also,  concerning  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  of  this  country,  and  shown  who  they 
were  and  from  whence  they  came ;  a  brief  sketch 
of  their  origin,  progress,  civilization,  laws,  govern- 
ments, of  their  righteousness  and  iniquity,  and  the 
blessings  of  God  being  finally  withdrawn  from  them 
as  a  people,  was  made  known  to  me.  I  was  also 


14  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

told  where  there  was  deposited  some  plates,  on  which 
was  engraved  an  abridgment  of  the  records  of  the 
ancient  prophets  that  had  existed  on  this  continent. 
The  angel  appeared  to  me  three  times  the  same  night, 
and  unfolded  the  same  things.  After  having  received) 
many  visits  from  the  angel  of  God,  unfolding  the, 
majesty  and  glory  of  the  events  that  should  trans-1 
(pire  in  the  last  days,  om  the  morning  of  the  22d  of 
September,  A.D.  1827,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  deliv- 
ered the  records  into  my  hands. 

"  These  records  were  engraven  on  plates,  which 
had  the  appearance  of  gold  ;  each  plate  was  six  inches 
wide  and  eight  inches  long,  and  not  quite  so  thick  as 
common  tin.  They  were  filled  with  engravings  in 
Egyptian  characters,  and  bound  together  in  a  volume 
as  the  leaves  of  a  book,  with  three  rings  running 
through  the  whole.  The  volume  was  something  near 
six  inches  in  thickness,  a  part  of  which  was  sealed, 
The  characters  in  the  unsealed  part  were  small  and 
beautifully  engraved.  The  whole  book  exhibited 
many  marks  of  antiquity  in  its  construction,  and 
much  skill  in  the  art  of  engraving.  With  the 
records  was  found  a  curious  instrument,  which  the 
ancients  called  '  Urim  and  Thummirn,'  which  con- 
sisted of  two  transparent  stones  set  in  the  rim  of  a 
bow  fastened  to  a  breast-plate. 

' '  Through  the  medium  of  the  *  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim '  I  translated  the  records,  by  the  gift  and 
power  of  God. 

"  In  this  important  and  interesting  book,  the  his- 
tory of  ancient  America  is  unfolded,  from  its  first 
settlement  by  a  colony  that  came  from  the  tower  of 
Babel,  at  the  confusion  of  languages,  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifth  century  of  the  Christian  era.  We 
are  informed  by  these  records  that  America  in 
ancient  times  has  been  inhabited  by  two  distinct 
races  of  people.  The  first  were  called  Jaredites, 
and  came  directly  from  the  tower  of  Babel.  The 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  IMPOSTURE.    15 

second  race  came  directly  from  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  They  were 
principally  Israelites,  of  the  descendants  of  Joseph. 
The  Jaredites  were  destroyed  about  the  time  that 
the  Israelites  came  from  Jerusalem,  who  succeeded 
them  in  the  inheritance  of  the  country.  The  prin- 
cipal nation  of  the  second  race  fell  in  battle  toward 
the  close  of  the  fourth  century.  The  remnant  are 
the  Indians  that  now  inhabit  this  country.  This 
book  also  tells  us  that  our  Saviour  made  his  appear- 
ance upon  this  continent  after  his  resurrection,  that 
he  planted  the  gospel  here  in  all  its  fulness,  and 
riches,  and  power,  and  blessing ;  that  they  had 
apostles,  prophets,  pastors,  teachers,  and  evangel- 
ists ;  the  same  order,  the  same  priesthood,  the 
same  ordinances,  gifts,  powers,  and  blessing,  as 
was  enjoyed  on  the  eastern  continent ;  that  the 
people  were  cut  off  in  consequence  of  their  trans- 
gressions ;  that  the  last  of  their  prophets  who 
existed  among  them  was  commanded  to  write  an 
abridgment  of  their  prophecies,  history,  etc.,  and 
to  hide  it  up  in  the  earth,  and  that  it  should  come 
forth  and  be  united  with  the  Bible  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  purposes  of  God  in  the  last  days. 
For  a  more  particular  account,  I  would  refer  to  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  which  can  be  purchased  at 
Nauvoo,  or  from  any  of  our  travelling  elders" 

The  account  goes  on  to  say  that  the  Church  was 
organized  on  the  6th  day  of  April,  1830;  that  the 
work  "  rolled  forth  with  astonishing  rapidity,"  and 
churches  were  soon  formed  in  the  States  of  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 
Missouri ;  that  in  the  latter,  large  settlements  were 
made,  where  they  suffered  divers  persecutions  and 
were  finally,  in  1839,  driven  out  to  find  a  home  in 


16  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYEA. 

Illinois.  To  the  good  character  of  the  people  of 
Illinois,  \ve  have  the  prophet's  own  testimony  in 
the  following  paragraph  : 

"In  the  situation  before  alluded  to,  we  arrived 
in  the  State  of  Illinois  in  1839,  where  we  found  a 
hospitable  people  and  a  friendly  home ;  a  people 
who  were  willing  to  be  governed  by  the  principles 
of  law  and  humanity.  We  have  commenced  to 
build  a  city  called  NAUVOO,  in  Hancock  county ; 
we  number  from  six  to  eight  thousand  here,  besides 
vast  numbers  in  the  country  around,  and  in  almost 
every  county  in  the  State.  We  have  a  city  charter 
granted  us,  and  a  charter  for  a  Legion,  the  troops 
of  T/hich  now  number  fifteen  hundred.  We  have 
also  a  charter  for  a  university,  for  an  agricultural 
and  manufacturing  society,  have  our  own  laws  and 
administrators,  and  possess  all  the  privileges  that 
other  free  and  enlightened  citizens  enjoy. 

"  .  .  .  It  (the  Gospel  of  Mormonism)  has 
penetrated  our  cities,  it  has  spread  over  our  villages, 
and  has  caused  thousands  of  our  intelligent,  noble, 
and  patriotic  citizens  to  obey  its  divine  mandates, 
and  be  governed  by  its  sacred  truths.  It  has  also 
spread  in  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  Wales, 
.  .  .  and  in  Germany,  Palestine,  New  Hol- 
land, the  East  Indies,  and  other  places,  the  stand- 
ard of  truth  has  been  erected." 

Exaggeration,  in  its  earlier  days,  as  now,  was  a 
marked  characteristic  of  Mormonism.  All  the  fore- 
going statements,  except  those  relating  to  the  char- 
ters and  the  possession  of  unusual  laws  and  privi- 
leges, were  grossly  untrue  at  the  time  they  were 
written. 

In  corroboration  of  his  claim  to  a  divine  calling, 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  IMPO8TU&&    17 

we  find  in  the  Times  and  /Seasons,  the  organ  before 
mentioned,  an  extended  "  History  of  Joseph 
Smith,"  written  in  the  first  person,  and  running 
through  many  issues  of  that  journal.  The  earliest 
of  these  numbers  is  lost,  the  first  one  before  us 
opening  with  an  account  of  his  first  adventure  with 
the  angel.  It  is  to  be  noted  that,  in  all  this  account, 
he  speaks  of  it  as  a  "  vision." 

"  I  have  actually  seen  a  vision,  and  *  who  am  I, 
that  I  can  withstand  God,'  or  why  does  the  world 
think  to  make  me  deny  what  I  have  actually  seen  ? 
for  I  had  seen  a  vision. 

"...  I  continued  to  pursue  my  common 
avocations  in  life  until  the  21st  of  September,  1823, 
all  the  time  suffering  severe  persecution  at  the  hands 
of  all  classes  of  men,  both  religious  and  irreligious, 
because  I  continued  to  affirm  that  I  had  seen  a 
vision." 

And  on  that  evening  he  retired  to  his  bed  in  full 
confidence  that  another  similar  manifestation  was 
to  be  vouchsafed  to  him. — Vol.  iii.,  p.  749,  Times 
and  Seasons. 

And  sure  enough,  the  expected  "  vision"  came 
— in  the  form  of  a  light,  "  until  the  room  was 
lighter  than  at  noon-day  "—and  in  that  light  a 
personage  appeared  and  stood  by  his  bedside ;  he 
was  unearthly  white,  as  were  his  robes ;  and  his 
hands  and  wrists,  and  feet  and  ankles,  were  naked, 
and  he  stood  on  nothing,  "for  his  feet  did  not 
touch  the  floor," 


18  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

"  He  called  me  by  name,  and  said  unto  me  that 
he  was  a  messenger  sent  from  the  presence  of  God 
to  me,  and  that  his  name  was  Nephi.*  That  God 
had  a  work  for  me  to  do,  and  that  my  name  should 
be  had  for  good  and  evil,  among  all  nations,  kindreds 
and  tongues." 

We  can  well  believe  that  this  vision  was,  at  least, 
partly  true ;  for  his  name  has  been  had  for  <  <  evil " 
among  many  nations. 

And  then  the  angel  Nephi  went  on  to  reveal  to 
him  the  existence  of  the  "golden  plates,"  the 
"Urim  and  Thummim,"  and  the  "breastplates," 
and  "  silver  bows,"  and  that  the  possession  and  use 
of  these  was  what  constituted  seers  in  olden  times, 
and  that  God  had  prepared  these  for  his  use.  Then 
Nephi  read  to  him  long  chapters  from  Scripture  : 
third  chapter  of  Malachi,  the  fourth  with  variations, 
the  eleventh  of  Isaiah,  the  third  of  Acts,  the  second 
of  Joel,  and  many  others  "too  numerous  to  men- 
tion." But — he  so  charged  him — when  these  golden 
plates  were  obtained,  and  the  breastplate,  and  the 
Urim  and  Thummim,  he  was  not  to  show  them  to 
any  person  on  pain  of  utter  destruction.  And 
while  the  angel  was  still  talking,  his  vision  caused 
him  to  behold  the  exact  spot  where  these  wonderful 
things  were  deposited — in  "  Cumorah  hill,"  two 
miles  away.  The  angel  appeared  to  him  twice  more 


*  For  the  character  of  thi§  Messenger  from  God,  see  other 
pages  of  this  history. 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  IMPOSTURE.    19 

that  night,  relating  "  the  very  same  things  which 
he  had  done  at  the  first  visit,  without  the  least 
variation,"  and  adding  more  concerning  the  judg- 
ments to  come  upon  this  generation.  And  this  not 
being  enough,  on  the  next  day,  in  the  field,  he  had 
another  vision  in  which  the  angel  appeared  as  be- 
fore, and  repeated  the  whole  story. — Times  and 
Seasons,  vol.  iii.,  753. 

What  may  have  been  the  acquirements  of  Nephi 
when  in  the  flesh,  according  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  he  certainly  exhibited  great  volubility 
as  an  angel,  in  the  presence  of  our  vision-seeing 
prophet ;  for  here  we  find  him  reading  five  chap- 
ters from  Scripture,  "and  many  others,"  three 
times  in  one  night,  besides  much  other  talk,  "  with- 
out the  least  variation." 

The  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  verify  this 
four-fold  vision.  How  this  was  done,  we  are  thus 
informed  : 

"  I  left  the  field,  and  went  to  the  place  where  the 
messenger  had  told  me  the  plates  were  deposited ; 
and  owing  to  the  distinctness  of  the  vision  which  I 
had  had  concerning  it,  I  knew  the  place  the  instant 
I  arrived  there.  Convenient  to  the  village  of  Man- 
chester, Ontario  County,  New  York,  stands  a  hill 
of  considerable  size,  and  the  most  elevated  of  any 
in  the  neighborhood  ;  on  the  west  side  of  this  hill 
not  far  from  the  top,  under  a  stone  of  considerable 
size,  Jay  the  plates  deposited  in  a  stone  box ;  this 
stone  was  thick  and  rounding  in  the  middle  on  the 
upper  side,  and  thinner  towards  the  edges,  so  that 


20  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYEA. 

the  middle  part  of  it  was  visible  above  the  ground, 
but  the  edge  all  around  was  covered  with  earth. 
Having  removed  the  earth  and  obtained  a  lever, 
which  I  got  fixed  under  the  edge  of  the  stone,  and 
with  a  little  exertion  raised  it  up,  I  looked  in,  and 
there,  indeed,  did  I  behold  the  plates,  the  Urim 
and  Thummim  and  the  breastplate,  as  stated  by 
the  messenger.  The  box  in  which  they  lay  was 
formed  by  laying  stones  together  in  some  kind  of 
cement ;  in  the  bottom  of  the  box  were  laid  two 
stones,  crossways  of  the  box,  and  on  these  stones 
lay  the  plates  and  the  other  things  with  them.  I 
made  an  attempt  to  take  them  out,  but  was  forbid- 
den by  the  messenger,  and  was  again  informed  that 
the  time  for  bringing  them  forth  had  not  yet  arrived, 
neither  would  it  until  four  years  from  that  time ; 
but  he  told  me  that  I  should  come  to  that  place 
precisely  in  one  year  from  that  time,  and  that  he 
would  there  meet  with  me,  and  that  I  should  con- 
tinue to  do  so,  until  the  time  should  come  for  ob- 
taining the  plates.  Accordingly,  as  I  had  been 
commanded,  I  went  at  the  end  of  each  year,  and  at 
each  time  I  found  the  same  messenger  there,  and 
received  instruction  and  intelligence  from  him  at 
each  of  our  interviews,  respecting  what  the  Lord 
was  going  to  do,  and  how  and  in  what  manner  His 
Kingdom  was  to  be  conducted  in  the  last  days." 

And  the  long  four  years  rolled  on;  long  and 
tedious  they  must  have  seemed  to  one  who  had  so 
great  and  important  a  commission  placed  upon  him. 
Ignorant  and  ill-prepared,  as  he  confessedly  was 
for  such  a  work,  he  made  no  special  effort  to 
qualify  himself,  but  continued  to  perform  his  usual 
daily  labors,  sometimes  about  home  and  sometimes 
abroad ;  part  of  the  time  (in  the  month  of  October, 


TIIE  BEGINNINGS   OF  THE  IMPOSTURE.    21 

1825),  with  an  old  gentleman  named  "  Stoal,"  who 
lived  in  Chenango  County,  bat  was  searching  for  a 
Spanish  silver  mine  at  Harmony,  in  Susquehanna 
County,  Pennsylvania.  With  this  gentleman  he 
worked  for  a  month,  and — 

'  <  Hence  arose  the  very  prevalent  story  of  my 
having  been  a  money-digger." 

How  digging  for  a  Spanish  silver  mine  on  the 
Susquehanna  river  in  Pennsylvania,  would  cause 
excavations  all  about  Palmyra  and  Manchester,  in 
New  York,  is  left  unexplained.  We  have  it  from 
present  residents  of  Palmyra,  made  to  the  writer 
of  these  pages  recently,  that,  though  mostly  oblit- 
erated by  time,  some  of  these  excavations  are  still 
to  be  seen. 

Within  this  period  of  four  years,  waiting,  he  was 
also  married  to  Miss  Emma  Hale,  daughter  of 
Isaac  Hale,  of  Harmony,  with  whom  he  boarded 
while  at  work  for  Mr.  Stowell.  This  marriage  took 
place  clandestinely,  being  much  opposed  by  Mr. 
Hale,  who  believed  his  daughter  wras  joining  her 
fortunes  with  a  worthless  and  undeserving  young 
man. 

At  length  the  auspicious  27th  of  September, 
1827,  arrived,  and  our  vision-seer  went  to  the  al- 
ready opened  stone  box,  where  he  met  the  messen- 
ger, as  promised,  and  received  the  ancient  relics  at 
his  hands.  He  was  admonished  that  he  would  be 


22  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

held  responsible  for  them,  that  if  he  let  them  go  in 
any  Avay  through  neglect,  he  would  be  cut  off — and 
if  at  any  time  he  (the  messenger)  should  call  for 
them,  they  must  be  delivered  up. 

During  all  the  years  previous  to  his  receiving 
the  plates,  so  the  story  runs,  he  had  been  the  sub- 
ject of  violent  and  cruel  persecution,  because  of  his 
declaration  and  continued  protestation  that  he 
"  had  seen  a  vision."  And  now,  that  the  promised 
precious  relics  were  in  his  possession,  this  perse- 
cution increased  with  redoubled  force.  And  this 
explains  the  conduct  of  the  angel : 

"  I  soon  found  out  the  reason  why  I  received  such 
strict  charges  to  keep  them  safe,  and  why  it  was 
that  the  messenger  had  said  that  when  I  had  done 
what  was  required  at  my  hand,  he  would  call  for 
them  ;  for  no  sooner  was  it  known  that  I  had  them 
than  the  most  strenuous  exertions  were  used  to  get 
them  from  me  ;  every  stratagem  that  could  be  in- 
vented was  resorted  to  for  that  purpose ;  the  per- 
secution became  more  bitter  and  severe  than  before, 
and  multitudes  were  on  the  alert  continually  to  get 
them  from  me  if  possible  ;  but  by  the  wisdom  of 
God  they  remained  safe  in  my  hands,  until  I  had 
accomplished  by  them  what  was  required  at  my 
hand,  when,  according  to  arrangements,  the  mes- 
senger called  for  them,  I  delivered  them  up  to  him, 
and  he  has  them  in  his  charge  until  this  day,  being 
the  second  day  of  May,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty-eight." 

Martin  Harris,  of  Palmyra,  who  is  declared  to  be 
"  a  gentleman  and  a  farmer  of  respectability,"  be- 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  IMPOSTURE.     23 

came  interested  in  the  matter,  and  to  him  Smith 
confided  some  of  the  characters  which  he  had  drawn 
from  the  plates.  Harris  took  them  to  the  city  of 
New  York  for  the  purpose  of  having  them  tested 
by  literary  men.  The  following  is  given  by  Smith 
as  Harris's  statement  on  his  return  : 

"  I  went  to  the  city  of  New  York  (said  Harris) 
and  presented  the  characters  which  had  been  trans- 
lated, with  the  translation  thereof,  to  Professor 
Anthony,  a  gentleman  celebrated  for  his  literary 
attainments ;  Professor  Anthony  stated  that  the 
translation  was  correct,  more  so  than  any  he  had 
before  seen  translated  from  the  Egyptian.  I  then 
showed  him  those  which  were  not  yet  translated, 
and  he  said  they  were  Egyptian,  Chaldeac,  Assyr- 
iac,  and  Arcibac,  and  he  said  that  they  w^ere  the 
true  characters.  He  gave  me  a  certificate  certifying 
to  the  people  of  Palmyra  that  they  were  true  char- 
acters, and  that  the  translation  of  such  of  them  as 
had  been  translated,  was  also  correct.  I  took  the 
certificate  and  put  it  into  rny  pocket,  and  was  just 
leaving  the  house,  when  Mr.  Anthony  called  me 
back,  and  asked  me  how  the  young  man  found  out 
that  there  were  gold  plates  in  the  place  where  he 
found  them.  I  answered  that  an  angel  of  God  had 
revealed  it  unto  him. 

11  He  then  said  to  me,  let  me  see  that  certificate. 
I  accordingly  took  it  out  of  my  pocket  and  gave  it 
to  him,  when  he  took  it  and  tore  it  to  pieces,  say- 
ing that  there  was  no  such  thing  now  as  ministering 
of  angels,  and  that  if  I  would  bring  the  plates  to 
him,  he  would  translate  them.  I  informed  him  that 
part  of  the  plates  were  sealed,  and  that  I  was  for- 
bidden to  bring  them,  ho  replied,  '  I  cannot  read  a 
sealed  book.'  I  left  him  and  went  to  Dr.  Mitchell, 


24  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

who  sanctioned  what  Professor  Anthony  had  said 
respecting  both  the  characters  and  the  translation." 

It  is  evident  that  the  foregoing  is  a  sheer  fabri- 
cation, concocted  by  either  Harris  or  the  prophet, 
most  probably  the  latter.  Professor  Anthon's 
statement,  made  some  time  afterwards,  shows  in 
what  light  he  regarded  the  story  told  him  by 
Harris. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  and  furnishes  another  evi- 
dence of  the  true  character  of  Mormonism,  that  four 
years  before  this  statement  was  printed  in  Xauvoo, 
this  same  Martin  Harris — the  "  gentleman  and 
farmer  of  respectability  " — was  publicly  denounced 
by  the  prophet  through  his  newspaper  organ,  as 
"  a  liar  and  swindler." — See  Elders'  Journal, 
August,  1838. 


AS    TOLD    BY    O  THE  US.  25 


CHAPTER    III. 

AS    TOLD   BY.  OTHERS. 

DAVID  WHITMER,  ONE  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  ELEVEN  WITNESSES — 
His  STATEMENT  IN  His  OLD  AGE — INTERVIEWED  BY  THE 
KANSAS  CITY  JOURNAL. 

As  will  be  shown,  David  Whitrner,  Oliver  Cow- 
dery,  and  Martin  Harris,  were  the  three  first  certi- 
fiers  to  the  miraculous  character  and  divine  au- 
thenticity of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  most 
zealous  fanatics  in  bringing  it  before  the  world. 
Yet,  strange  to  say,  every  one  of  them  in  future 
years,  and  during  the  prophet's  lifetime,  were 
either  denounced  by  him  or  seceded  from  the  sect 
of  which  he  was  the  head. 

Mr.  Whitmer,  after  following  the  fortunes  of  his 
chief  into  Ohio,  and  thence  to  Northwest  Missouri, 
finally  left  the  sect  for  good,  for  reasons  which  will 
herein  be  shown.  He  died  only  a  few  years  since 
at  Eichmond,  Ray  County,  Missouri,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  A  year  or  two  previous  to  his  death 
he  was  interviewed  by  an  attach^  of  the  Kansas 
City  Journal,  on  the  subject  of  Mormonism  and 
his  previous  connection  with  it,  a  lengthy  report 
of  which  is  published  in  that  paper.  It  is  well 


26  THE    PROPHET    OP  PALMYRA. 

written  and  interesting  throughout ;  but  we  can 
only  make  room  for  a  condensed  synopsis,  quoting 
only  certain  portions  entire.  Mr.  Whitmer's  state- 
ments, made  in  his  serene  old  age,  and  many  years 
after  having  left  the  church,  are  important  as  to 
his  admissions  regarding  the  wickedness  and  evil 
designs  of  the  man  whom  he  had  so  long  regarded 
as  the  vicegerent  of  the  Almighty. 

Eisrht  other  witnesses  had  followed  the  three  in 

o 

certifying  to  the  Book  of  Mormon — making  eleven 
in  all — and  the  Journal  introduces  Mr.  Whitmer 
as  "the  last  of  the  eleven" — all  the  others,  with 
Smith  and  Rigdon,  the  principals,  having  preceded 
him  to  their  final  reckoning. 

Mr.  Whitmer  stated  that  he  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, but  at  an  early  age  removed  with  his 
father's  family  to  Western  New  York.  In  Palmyra 
he  became  acquainted  with  Oliver  Cowdery,  and 
there  first  heard  of  Mormonism,  in  1828.  Cowdery 
seems  to  have  led  all  the  Whitmers  into  Mormon- 
ism,  and  afterwards  married  into  the  family. 

The  manner  of  the  translation  of  the  plates,  as 
told  by  Whitmer,  is  so  interesting  that  it  is  given 
here  in  his  own  words. 

Said  he : 

"  He  had  two  small  stones  of  a  chocolate  color, 
nearly  egg-shaped  and  perfectly  smooth,  but  not 
transparent,  called  interpreters,  which  were  given 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  27> 

( 

him  with  the  plates.  He  did  not  use  the  plates  in 
the  translation,  but  would  hold  the  interpreters  to 
his  eyes  and  cover  his  face  with  a  hat,  excluding 
all  light,  and  before  his  eyes  would  appear  what 
seemed  to  be  parchment,  on  which  would  appear 
the  characters  of  the  plates  in  a  line  at  the 
top,  and  immediately  below  would  appear  the 
translation  in  English,  which  Smith  would  read  to 
his  scribe,  who  wrote  it  down  exactly  as  it  fell 
from  his  lips.  The  scribe  would  then  read  the 
sentence  written,  and  if  any  mistake  had  been  made 
the  characters  would  remain  visible  to  Smith  until 
corrected,  when  they  faded  from  sight  to  be  re- 
placed by  another  line.  The  translation  at  my 
father's  occupied  about  one  month,  that  is  from 
June  1  to  July  1,  1829." 

"Were  the  plates  under  the  immediate  control 
of  Smith  all  the  time?" 

1 '  Xo,  they  were  not.  I  will  explain  how  that 
was.  When  Joseph  first  received  the  plates  he 
translated  116  pages  of  the  book  of  «  Lehi,'  with 
Martin  Harris  as  scribe.  When  this  had  been 
completed,  they  rested  for  a  time,  and  Harris 
wanted  to  take  the  manuscript  home  with  him  to 
show  to  his  family  and  friends.  To  this  Joseph 
demurred,  but  finally  asked  the  Lord  if  Harris 
might  be  allowed  to  take  it.  The  answer  was  '  Xo.' 
Harris  teased  Joseph  for  a  long  time,  and  finally 
persuaded  him  to  ask  the  Lord  a  second  time, 
pledging  himself  to  be  responsible  for  its  safe 
keeping.  To  this  second  inquiry  the  Lord  told 
Joseph  Harris  might  take  the  manuscript,  which 
he  did,  showing  it  to  a  great  many  people,  but 
through  some  carelessness  allowed  it  to  be  stolen 
from  him.  This  incurred  the  Lord's  displeasure, 
and  he  sent  an  angel  to  Joseph,  demanding  the 
plates,  and  until  Joseph  had  thoroughly  repented 
of  his  transgressions  would  not  allow  him  to  have 


28  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

the  use  of  them  again.  When  Joseph  was  again 
allowed  to  resume  the  translation,  the  plates  were 
taken  care  of  by  a  messenger  of  God,  and  when 
Joseph  wanted  to  see  the  plates  this  messenger  was 
always  at  hand.  The  116  pages  of  the  book  of 
'Lehi,'  which  were  stolen,  were  never  recovered, 
nor  would  the  Lord  permit  Joseph  to  make  a  sec- 
ond translation  of  it." 

Continuing  the  interview,  Mr.  Whitmer  is  asked  : 

"  When  did  you  see  the  plates?" 

*  *  It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  June  ,1829.  Joseph , 
Oliver  Cowdery  and  myself  were  together,  and  the 
angel  showed  them  to  us.  We  not  only  saw  the 
plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  but  he  also  showed 
us  the  brass  plates  of  the  book  of  Ether  and  many 
others.  They  were  shown  to  us  in  this  way.  Joseph 
and  Oliver  and  I  were  sitting  on  a  log  when  we 
were  overshadowed  by  a  light  more  glorious  than 
that  of  the  sun.  In  the  midst  of  this  light,  but  a 
few  feet  from  us,  appeared  a  table,  upon  which 
were  many  golden  plates,  also  the  sword  of 
Laban  and  the  directors.  I  saw  them  as  plain  as 
I  see  you  now,  and  distinctly  heard  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  declaiming  that  the  records  of  the  plates 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  were  translated  by  the  gift 
and  the  power  of  God." 

' «  Who  else  saw  the  plates  at  this  time  ?  " 

"No  one.  Martin  Harris,  the  other  witness, 
saw  them  the  same  day,  and  the  eight  witnesses, 
Christian  Whitmer,  Hiram  Page,  Jacob  Whitmer, 
Joseph  Smith,  Sr.,  Peter  Whitmer,  Jr.,  Hyram 
Smith,  Jno.  Whitmer,  and  Samuel  H.  Smith,  saw 
them  next  day." 

'  *  Did  you  see  the  angel  ? " 

"Yes;  he  stood  before  us.  Our  testimony  as 
recorded  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  absolutely  time, 
just  as  it  is  written  there." 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  29 

' «  Can  you  descril.)e  the  plates  ?  " 

"They  appeared  to  be  of  gold,  about  six  by 
nine  inches  in  size,  about  as  thick  as  parchment,  a 
great  many  in  number,  and  bound  together  like  the 
leaves  of  a  book  by  massive  rings  passing  through 
the  back  edges.  The  engraving  upon  them  was 
very  plain  and  of  very  curious  appearance.  Smith 
made  fac-similes  of  some  of  the  plates,  and  sent 
them  by  Martin  Harris  to  Professors  Anson  and 
Mitchell,  of  New  York  City,  for  examination.  They 
pronounced  the  characters  reformed  Egyptian,  but 
were  unable  to  read  them." 

As  before  stated,  Mr.  Whitmer  continued  with 
his  chief  and  their  people  in  their  several  attempts 
at  settlement  in  Missouri,  and  it  was  while  there 
that  the  events  occurred  which  separated  him  from 
the  leaders.  This  personal  history  we  prefer  to 
give  in  his  own  words — as  illustrating  a  peculiar 
phase  of  human  character  : 

"In  1835  W.  W.  Phelps  and  John  Whitmer, 
accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  our  people,  went 
to  Far  West,  Caldwell  County,  and  established  a 
church.  They  lived  there,  and  multiplied  very 
rapidly  until  1838,  when  Elders  Joseph  Smith  and 
Sidney  Rigdon  came  out  from  Ohio  and  were  dis- 
satisfied with  the  church,  and  gave  new  laws, 
revelations,  etc.  The  leaders  of  the  Far  West 
church  refused  to  conform  to  the  new  laws  of  Smith 
and  Rigdon,  and  they  issued  a  decree  organizing 
what  was  termed  the  'Danites,  or  Destroying 
Angels,'  who  were  bound  by  the  most  fearful  oaths 
to  obey  the  commandments  of  the  leaders  of  the 
church.  The  Danites  consisted  only  of  those 
selected  by  Smith  and  Rigdon.  They  threatened 
myself,  John  Whitmer,  Oliver  Cowdery  and  Lyman 


30  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

Johnson  with  the  vengeance  of  the  Danites  unless 
we  took  the  same  oath,  but  we  refused,  and  lied 
for  our  lives  to  Clay  County,  and  since  that  time 
I  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  so-called  *  Lat- 
ter-Day Saints '  church,  but  I  still  hold  to  the  truth 
of  the  original  Church  of  Christ,  as  organized  in 
New  York.  During  the  fall  of  1838  the  church  of 
Far  West  became  very  violent  towards  the  citizens 
of  Caldwell  County,  which  terminated  in  an  up- 
rising similar  to  that  in  Jackson  County,  and  they 
were  driven  from  the  State.  Smith  and  Eigdon 
were  arrested  and  kept  prisoners  for  some  time, 
but  finally  escaped  and  went  to  Nauvoo,  Illinois, 
followed  by  the  saints  from  Far  West,  and  estab- 
lished a  church  and  built  a  fine  temple.  They  re- 
mained in  Nauvoo  until  1844,  when  they  became 
very  corrupt,  upheld  polygamy,  established  an  en- 
dowment house,  etc.,  which  occasioned  an  uprising 
of  the  people,  and  Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother 
Hyrum  and  John  Taylor,  the  present  head  of  the 
church  in  Salt  Lake,  were  arrested  and  cast  into 
prison,  and  the  two  Smiths  afterwards  shot  and 
killed  through  the  windows  of  the  jail.  The  tem- 
ple was  destroyed  and  the  church  scattered,  a  por- 
tion going  to  Salt  Lake  under  the  leadership  of 
Brigham  Young  and  John  Taylor,  where  they  have 
remained  ever  since,  practicing  the  vile  system  of 
polygamy  and  spiritual  wifeism. 

"  I  belong  to  the  original  church,  organized  in 
1829,  and  have  never  associated  myself  with  any 
other,  and  never  upheld  the  reorganization  or 
change  of  name  to  « Latter-Day  Saints,'  at  Kirt- 
landi  Ohio." 

The  original  manuscript  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
is  thus  referred  to  by  Mr.  Whitmer : 

(He  produced  about  five  hundred  pages  of  manu 
script,   yellow  with   age,   of  large,   old-fashioned, 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  31 

unruled  foolscap  paper,  closely  written  upon  both 
sides  with  ink,  and  fastened  together  in  sections 
with  yarn  strings.  It  very  plainly  showed  that  it 
had  been  through  the  hands  of  the  printer,  the 
'take'  marks  being  still  upon  it.)  "This,"  con- 
tinued he,  "  was  kept  by  Oliver  Cowdery,  and 
when  he  came  to  die  he  placed  them  in  my  care, 
charging  me  to  preserve  them  so  long  as  I  lived. 
When  I  die  I  will  leave  them  to  my  nephew, 
David  Whitmer,  my  namesake.  J.  F.  Smith  and 
Orson  Pratt,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  were  here  three 
years  ago,  and  offered  me  a  fabulous  price  for  them, 
but  I  would  not  part  with  them  for  all  the  money 
in  the  universe." 

"Are  you  not  afraid  they  will  be  destroyed  or 
stolen?" 

"  No,  the  Lord  will  take  care  of  his  own.  When 
this  house  was  destroyed  by  the  cyclone  three 
years  ago  to-day  (June  1,  1878),  nothing  in  the 
room  where  this  manuscript  was  kept  was  harmed. 
Everything  else  was  completely  destroyed." 

It  is  difficult  to  see  wherein  such  value  is  at- 
tached to  this  relic,  when  it  is  remembered  that  it 
is  merely  the  manuscript  in  Oliver  Cowdery's  hand- 
writing, made  while  the  prophet  was  peeping  at 
the  little  stones  in  his  hat,  and  pretending  to 
translate  from  the  "Reformed  Egyptian."  The 
compositor  who  set  up  the  type  for  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  in  the  office  of  the  Wayne  Sentinel,  at 
Palmyra,  retains  the  proof-sheets  of  that  grand 
work,  to  which  he,  also,  attaches  much  value. 
They  are  relics,  to  be  sure  ;  but  relics  of  a  miserable, 
•wicked,  and  blasphemous  fraud,  which  should  have 


32  THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYEA. 

brought  the  blush  of  shame  to  the  faces  of  all  its 
originators  and  abettors. 

Since  this  interview,  Mr.  Whitmer  has  died — his 
friends  say,  a  full  believer  in  the  faith  in  which  he 
had  so  long  lived,  and  cherishing  as  a  precious 
jewel  the  manuscript  copy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
left  in  his  hands  by  his  brother-in-law,  Oliver 
Cowdery.  A  believer  in  the  story  of  Mormonism, 
he  refused,  ever  since  his  affront  fifty  years  ago, 
to  hold  any  intercourse  with  its  founder. 

These  statements  of  Mr.  Whitmer  are  valuable 
as  showing  how  easily  a  man  may  be  deluded  into 
a  belief  of  supernatural  things.  Some  men's  minds 
are  so  constituted  as  to  accept  anything  of  a  mar- 
vellous nature,  rather  than  plain,  simple  truth. 
They  are  more  valuable  still,  as  establishing 
the  oft-denied  charges  of  the  existence  of  an  or- 
ganized "  Danite  Band" — organized  for  the  purpose, 
as  Mr.  Whitmer  stated,  of  working  murder  and 
destruction  upon  enemies  and  apostates.  .-"No  rec- 
ognized leader  in  the  church  has  heretofore  ever 
been  found,  but  who  would  de'ny  the  existence  of 
any  such  organization  for  any  such  purpose.  And 
yet  here  is  an  adherent  and  believer  in  the  story, 
and  co-worker  through  all  the  earlier  years,  and 
who  came  near  becoming  a  victim  of  its  author's 
vengeance — who  certifies  to  its  truth,  and  charges 
that  Smith  and  Risydon  were  the  organizers  and 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  33 

directors  of  the  band.  Mr.  Whitmer  also  gives 
credence  to  and  affirms  the  charges  so  long  made, 
and  so  persistently  denied,  of  the  practice  of  polyg- 
amy by  the  prophet  and  his  leaders  at  Xauvoo. 

AVas  not  this  aged  and  venerable  man,  standing 
on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  a  valuable  witness  to 
the  truth  and  divine  origin  of  the  story  ? 


34  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYEA. 

OHAPTEK    IV. 

AS  TOLD   BY  OTHERS. — Continued. 
A  HIGHLY  INTERESTING  LETTER  FROM  HON.  S.  S.  HARDING, 

EX-GOVERNOR     OF    UTAH   TERRITORY — HlS   BOYHOOD    AC- 
QUAINTANCE WITH  THE  SMITH  FAMILY. 

KNOWING  that  ex-Governor  Harding,  later  a 
judge  in  Indiana,  had  been  in  his  early  life  a 
resident  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  and  acquainted  with  the 
Smith  family  and  the  other  originators  of  the  Boole 
of  Mormon,  we  addressed  him  on  the  subject,  and 
received  the  following  lengthy  and  interesting  reply. 

At  the  date  of  this  letter — February,  1882 — and 
several  years  later,  Judge  Harding  was  residing  in 
Indiana,  an  octogenarian  in  age  and  feeble  health, 
but  with  a  remarkable  memory  of  the  'events  of  his 
long  and  distinguished  life.  His  recollection  and 
statements  concerning  the  ignorant  and  superstitious 
character  of  young  Smith  and  his  father's  family, 
and  most  of  the  early  adherents  of  Mormonism,  are 
strongly  corroborative  of  those  made  by  all  the 
citizens  of  Palmyra  from  1830  down  to  the  present 
time.  Human  testimony  could  scarcely  be  made 
stronger  or  more  convincing. 

"  MILAN,  IND.,  Feb.,  1882. 

"  DEAR  SIR  : — Yours  of  9th  January  duly  re- 
ceived, and  I  send  you  this  reply.  The  incidents 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  35 

I  am  about  to  relate  would  not  be  worth  repeating 
only  as  illustrative  of  the  wild  fanaticism,  super- 
stition, and  credulity  of  persons  upon  whose  ve- 
racity mainly  depends  the  authenticity  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  That  such  a  book,  replete  with  self- 
evident  plagiarisms  and  humbuggery,  that  sink  it 
below  the  dignity  of  criticism,  should  find  tens 
of  thousands  of  persons  of  ordinary  intelligence 
throughout  Christendom,  who  have  accepted  it  as  a 
Eevelation  from  God  to  man,  is  indeed  a  moral 
phenomenon  unparalleled  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
In  view  of  these  things  it  is  not  strange  that  some 
daring  iconoclast  should  go  forth  with  his  merciless 
sledge,  breaking  in  fragments  the  shrines  and  idols 
that  for  thousands  of  years  have  struck  with  rever- 
ential awe  the  hearts  of  untold  millions  of  men,  and 
leading  captive  the  human  will. 

"  In- the  summer  of  1829,  I  resolved  to  return  to 
the  place  of  my  nativity,  in  the  vicinity  of  Palmyra, 
N.  Y.  It  was  from  this  place  that  my  father  had 
emigrated  in  the  spring  of  1820,  with  his  large 
family,  to  the  newly  admitted  State  of  Indiana. 
This  was  before  the  days  of  railroads,  and  I  took 
stage  from  Cincinnati  for  Cleveland,  from  Cleve- 
land down  the  lake  shore  for  Buffalo,  where  I 
saw,  for  the  first  time,  the  great  canal,  only  re- 
cently completed.  On  this  I  took  passage  for 
Palmyra. 

* '  In  these  nine  years  of  transition  from  boyhood 
to  manhood,  most  striking  changes  had  taken  place. 
My  old-time  playmates  were  no  longer  little  boys 
and  girls,  but  grown-up  men  and  women ;  some  of 
whom  had  taken  their  positions  in  society  as  hus- 
bands and  wives,  fathers  and  mothers.  Others  had 
gone  down  to  early  graves  that  had 

'  Hidden  from  the  living 
The  full-blown  promise  of  the  life  that  was.' 


36  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

"  AYhen  I  left  my  home  in  the  TYest,  I  had  never 
heard  of  Mormonism,  by  that  name.  When  I  was 
a  student  at  Brookville,  in  the  fall  of  1827,  the 
Brookville  Enquirer  was  laid  upon  my  table,  when 
my  eye  fell  upon  a  paragraph,  credited  to  some 
Eastern  paper,  of  the  finding  of  a  book  of  metallic 
plates,  called  the  '  Golden  Bible.'  It  was  found 
by  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Joe  Smith,  who 
had  spent  his  time  for  several  years  in  telling  for- 
tunes and  digging  for  hidden  treasures,  and  espe- 
cially for  pots  and  iron  chests  of  money,  supposed 
to  have  been  buried  by  Captain  Kidd.  This  para- 
graph interested  me  more  at  the  time  from  the  fact 
that  all  this  had  happened  near  the  village  of  Pal- 
myra, X.  Y.  I  had  at  the  time  no  certain  recol- 
lection as  to  who  this  'Joe  Smith'  was;  but  re- 
membered having  seen  a  long-legged,  low-headed 
boy  of  that  name,  who  was  generally  fishing  in  the 
mill-pond  at  Durfee's  grist-mill,  on  Mud  Creek, 
when  my  elder  brother  and  I  went  to  mill.  This 
boy  was  about  three  years  older  than  myself,  and 
it  turned  out  that  he  was  the  veritable  finder  of  the 
«  Golden  Bible.' 

"  Of  course  the  paragraph  in  the  Enquirer  passed 
without  further  notice  at  the  time,  and  the  whole 
subject  was  forgotten,  until  I  found  myself  in  the 
very  neighborhood  where  the  thing  had  happened. 
At  that  time  the  Book  of  Mormon  had  not  been 
printed,  and  no  Mormon  church  had  been  organized. 
I  do  not  believe  that  such  a  thing  as  the  latter  had 
ever  been  seriously  contemplated,  and  that  the 
publication  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  had  for  its  ob- 
ject only  the  making  of  money,  by  publishing  and 
putting  on  sale  a  book  that  could  be  readily  sold  as 
a  curiosity  at  a  high  profit.  Nevertheless,  there 
was  something  so  unusual  in  the  affair,  that  it  ex- 
cited a  good  deal  of  curiosity  and  comment.  The 
fact  that  such  a  man  as  Martin  Harris  should  mort- 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  37 

gage  his  farm  for  a  large  sum,  to  secure  the  pub- 
lisher for  printing  the  book,  should  abandon  the 
cultivation  of  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  neigh- 

O 

foorhood,  and  change  till  his  habits  of  life  from  in- 
dustry to  indolence  and  general  shiftlessness,  was 
truly  phenomenal.  He,  at  the  same  time,  was  the 
only  man  among  all  the  primitive  Mormons  who 
was  responsible  in  a  pecuniary  sense  for  a  single 
dollar.  Nevertheless,  he  had  become  absolutely 
infatuated,  and  believed  that  an  immense  fortune 
could  be  made  out  of  the  enterprise.  The  mis- 
fortune that  attended  Harris  from  that  day  did  not 
consist  in  the  loss  of  money  merely,  and  the  gen- 
eral breaking  up  of  his  business  as  a  farmer ;  but 
the  blight  and  ruin  fell  upon  all  his  domestic  rela- 
tions— causing  his  separation  from  his  Avife  and 
family  forever.  In  early  life  he  had  been  brought 
up  a  Quaker,  then  took  to  Methodism  as  more  con- 
genial to  his  nature.  He  was  noted  as  one  who 
could  quote  more  Scripture  than  any  man  in  the 
neighborhood ;  and  as  a  general  thing  could  give 
the  chapter  and  verse  where  some  important  pas- 
sage could  be  found.  If  one  passage  more  than 
another  seemed  to  be  in  his  mind,  it  was  this* 
*  God  has  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this  world  to 
confound  the  wise.'  His  eccentricities  and  idio- 
syncrasies had  been  charitably  passed  over  by  all 
who  knew  him,  until  his  separation  from  his  wife 
and  family,  when  he  was  looked  upon  as  utterly 
infatuated  and  crazy.  I  had  been  acquainted  with 
this  man  when  a  little  boy,  until  my  father  emi- 
grated from  that  neighborhood  in  1820.  He  was 
intimately  acquainted  with  my  father's  family,  and 
on  several  occasions  had  visited  our  house,  in  com- 
pany with  Mrs.  Harris.  None  in  all  that  neigh- 
borhood were  more  promising  in  their  future  pro^ 
pects  than  -they. 


38  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

"Upon  my  return  to  Palmyra,  and  learning  that 
Mai-tin  Harris  was  the  only  man  of  any  account,  as 
we  say  in  the  West,  among  all  of  his  near  as- 
sociates, it  was  but  natural  that  I  should  seek  an 
early  interview  with  him.  I  found  him  at  the 
printing  office  of  the  Wayne  Sentinel  in  Palmyra, 
where  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  being  printed. 
He  had  heard  several  days  before  of  my  arrival  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  expressed  great  pleasure  at 
seeing  me.  A  moment  or  t\vo  after,  I  was  intro- 
duced to  Oliver  Cowdery,  Joseph  Smith,  Sen., 
and  then  to  the  young  <  Prophet '  himself. 

"  Here  was  a  most  remarkable  quartette  of  per- 
sons. I  soon  learned  that  at  least  three  of  them 
were  in  daily  attendance  at  the  printing-office, 
and  that  they  came  and  went  as  regularly  as  the 
rising  and  setting  of  the  sun.  I  have  the  authority 
of  Martin  Harris  himself,  who  stated  that  some  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pages,  more  or  less,  of  the  origi- 
nal manuscript  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  had  been 
stolen,  lost,  or  destroyed,  by  some  evil-minded 
person,  and  that  the  angel  of  the  Lord  had  ap- 
peared to  young  Joseph  and  informed  him  that 
the  devil  had  appeared  in  the  form  of  a  man  or 
woman,  and  had  possessed  himself  of  the  sacred 
MS.  ;  and  Joseph  had  been  commanded  by  the 
angel  to  thenceforth  always  have  at  least  three 
Avitnesses  to  watch  over  it  when  in  the  hands  of 
the  printers.  This  was  the  reason  given  me  at  Ae 
time  by  Harris,  why  at  least  three  persons  should 
bring  the  MS.  to  the  office  immediately  after  sun- 
rise, and  take  it  away  before  sunset  in  the  evening. 

*' After  my  introduction  to  Cowdery  and  the 
Smiths,  I  entered  into  conversation  with  them — 
especially  with  Cowdery  and  the  father  of  the 
prophet.  But  young  Joe  was  hard  to  be  ap- 
proached. He  was  very  taciturn,  and  sat  most  of 
the  time  as  silent  as  a  Sphynx,  seeming  to  have  no 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  39 

recollection  of  ever  having  seen  me  when  fishing  in 
Durfee's  mill-pond.  This  young  man  was  by  no 
means  of  an  ordinary  type.  He  had  hardly  ever 
been  known  to  laugh  in  his  childhood ;  and  would 
never  work  or  labor  like  other  boys ;  and  was 
noted  as  never  having  had  a  fight  or  quarrel  with 
any  other  person.  But  notwithstanding  this  last 
redeeming  trait,  he  was  hard  on  birds'  nests,  and 
in  telling  what  had  happened  would  exaggerate  to 
such  an  extent,  that  it  was  a  common  saying  in  the 
neighborhood  :  <  That  is  as  big  a  lie  as  young  Joe 
ever  told.' 

"  He  was  about  six  feet  high,  what  might  be 
termed  long-legged,  and  with  big  feet.  His  hair  had 
turned  from  tow-color  to  light  auburn,  large  eyes 
of  a  bluish  gray,  a  prominent  nose,  and  a  mouth 
that  of  itself  was  a  study.  His  face  seemed  almost 
colorless,  and  with  little  or  no  beard. 

"Indeed  (in  the  language  of  Martin  Harris): 
'  What  change  a  few  years  will  make  in  every- 
thing ! '  And  what  a  demonstration  of  this  truth 
was  afforded  in  the  life  and  career  of  the  man  be- 
fore me.  At  that  time  his  weight  was  kbout  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  he  had  not  a  dollar  in 
the  world,  and  his  character  was  such  that  credit 
was  impossible.  Let  the  mind  pass  over  the  career 
of  this  man  to  the  date  of  his  marriage  with  Emma 
Hale  ;  his  banking  and  temple-building  at  Kirtland  ; 
his  flight  as  a  fugitive  from  that  place  to  Inde- 
pendence and  Far  West,  Missouri ;  his  forcible 
expulsion  from  that  State  to  Xauvoo  ;  the  spring- 
ing up  of  a  city  of  20,000  people  as  if  by  magic ; 
and  where,  beside  his  divine  appointment  as 
"  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Eevelator,"  he  became  Lieut. - 
General  of  a  Legion  that  would  make  a  respectable 
standing  army,  mounted  on  a  blooded  charger  in 
all  the  military  trappings,  that  filled  with  awe  the 
thousands  of  his  followers,  and  even  the  outside 


40  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

Gentiles.  He  had  now  reached  the  zenith  of  his 
glory ;  and  fifteen  years  from  the  time  I  met  him 
at  the  printing-office,  he  had  become  a  millionaire, 
notwithstanding  his  harem  of  numerous  spiritual 
wives  and  concubines. 

1  <  In  the  neighborhood  of  Palmyra  there  lived 
another  prophet,  older  and  wiser  than  the  Mormon 
prophet.  This  wras  old  George  Crane,  who  had 
been  born  and  brought  up  a  Quaker.  On  one  oc- 
casion Smith  and  Cowdery  had  gone  to  the  house 
of  George,  who  had  manifested  some  interest  in 
the  pretended  translation.  It  was  in  the  evening, 
and  when  several  chapters  had  been  read,  Mr. 
Crane,  who  had  been  an  attentive  listener,  in  his 
straightforward,  Quaker  soberness  said:  'Joseph, 
thy  book  is  blasphemous ;  and  I  counsel  thee  to 
mend  thy  ways,  or  thee  will  come  to  some  bad 
end.'  George  Crane  lived  to  see  the  fulfilment  of 
that  prophecy,  when  this  greatest  of  all  modern 
deceivers  fell  out  of  the  back  window  of  the  Car- 
thage jail  riddled  with  bullets. 

"I  had  arrived  at  the  printing-office  about  nine  in 
the  morning,  and  after  my  interview  with  Harris, 
and  introduction,  as  aforesaid,  I  spent  an  hour  or 
two  with  E.  B.  Grandin  and  Pomeroy  Tucker, 
proprietor  and  foreman  of  the  Sentinel.  From 
these  gentlemen  I  learned  many  particulars  that 
were  new  to  me.  I  expressed  a  desire  to  read  the 
manuscript  then  in  process  of  being  printed  ;  but 
was  informed  by  them  that  that  was  hardly  possible, 
inasmuch  as  a  few  sheets  only  at  a  time  were  used 
as  copy  in  the  hands  of  the  printers ;  and  that 
probably  Cowdery  and  Smith  would  have  no  ob- 
jection to  reading  it  tome,  if  I  would  give  them 
an  opportunity  without  interfering  with  their  duties 
at  the  office. 

"It  was  now  noon,  and  I  went  home  with  my 
cousin  (Mr.  Tucker)  to  dinner.  On  returning  to 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  41 

the  office,  I  found  Harris,  Cowdery,  and  the  Smiths 
had  remained,  substituting  a  lunch  for  a  regular 
dinner.  My  intimacy  with  them  was  renewed,  and 
Harris  talked  incessantly  to  me  on  the  subject  of 
dreams,  and  the  fearful  omens  and  signs  he  had 
seen  in  the  heavens.  Of  course  I  became  greatly 
interested,  and  manifested  a  desire  to  hear  the 
miraculous  MS.  read ;  and  it  was  agreed  that  I 
should  go  out  with  them  to  the  house  of  the  elder 
Smith,  and  remain  ov-er  night.  In  the  mean  time, 
I  remarked  that  but  one  at  a  time  left  the  printing 
office,  even  for  a  short  period. 

* «  The  sun  had  now  got  down  to  the  roofs  of  the 
houses,  and  the  typos  had  laid  by  their  work. 
Each  page  of  the  MS.  that  had  been  used  as 
copy  was  delivered  to  Cowdery,  and  we  prepared  to 
return  to  Smith's.  We  arrived  at  our  destination 
a  few 'minutes  before  sunset.  The  Smith  residence 
consisted  of  a  log  house,  not  exactly  a  cabin.  Upon 
our  arrival,  I  was  ushered  into  the  best  room  in 
company  with  the  others.  In  a  few  moments  I 
was  left  alone,  my  companions  having  gone  out  on 
private  business.  An  interview  with  the  family 
was  being  held  by  them  in  the  other  part  of  the 
house.  It  was  not  long  before  they  returned,  ac- 
companied by  Lucy  Smith,  the  prophet's  mother. 
She  came  close  to  me,  and  taking  me  by  the  hand, 
said  : 

"  *  I've  seed  you  before.  You  are  the  same  young 
man  that  had  on  the  nice  clothes,  that  I  seed  in  my 
dream.  You  had  on  this  nice  ruffled  shirt,  with 
the  same  gold  breast-pin  in  it  that  you  have  now. 
Yes,  jest  ezactly  sich  a  one  as  this  ! ' — suiting  the 
action  to  the  word,  taking  hold  of  the  ruffle,  and 
scrutinizing  the  pin  closely.  It  was  not  long  till 
she  left  the  room,  and  I,  following  to  the  door, 
saw  two  stout,  bare-footed  girls,  each  with  a  tin 
bucket  of  red  raspberries.  Soon  after,  the  old 


4i!  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

man  announced  that  supper  was  ready.  We  went 
into  the  other  part  of  the  house,  where  supper  was 
waiting,  consisting  of  brown  bread,  milk,  and 
abundance  of  fine  raspberries  before  mentioned. 
There  was  no  lack  of  these,  and  if  any  left  the  table 
without  a  really  good  supper,  it  was  not  the  fault 
of  the  hostess.  She,  good  soul — full  sister  to  all  her 
sex — began  to  make  excuses,  saying  : 

"  *  If  I  had  only  known  what  a  nice  visitor  I  was 
goin'  to  have,  I  would  have  put  on  the  table  flour 
bread,  and  not  ryn'  Injun.' 

' '  I  remarked  that  it  needed  no  excuses  ;  that  the 
supper  was  good  enough  for  a  king,  and  that  the 
berries  on  the  table  were  better  than  could  be  bought 
in  any  city  in  America.  Beside  being  true,  this  had 
the  effect  of  quieting  the  feelings  of  the  old  lady. 

< '  It  was  now  time  to  begin  the  reading  of  the 
manuscript,  and  we  retired  to  the  room  we  had  oc- 
cupied. This  was  before  the  days  of  lucifer 
matches,  and  there  being  no  fire,  it  took  some  time 
before  a  light  could  be  brought  into  the  room. 
This  was  done  by  our  good  hostess,  who  set  upon 
the  table  a  tin  candlestick  with  a  tallow  dip  in  it, 
remarking  :  '  This  is  the  only  candle  I  can  find  in 
the  house ;  I  thought  I  had  two,  but  mabby  the 
rats  has  eat  it  up.' 

' '  Cowdery  commenced  his  task  of  reading  at  the 
table,  the  others  sitting  around.  The  reading  had 
proceeded  for  some  time,  when  the  candle  began  to 
spit  and  splutter,  sometimes  almost  going  out,  and 
flashing  up  with  a  red-blue  blaze.  Here  was  a 
phenomenon  that  could  not  be  mistaken.  To  say 
that  the  blaze  had  been  interrupted  by  the  flax 
shives  that  remained  in  the  tow  wicking,  would  not 
do ;  but  Martin  Harris  arrived  at  a  conclusion 
4  across  lots  : '  '  Do  you  see  that,'  said  he,  direct- 
ing his  remark  to  me  and  the  old  lady,  who  sat  be- 
side him.  '  I  know  what  that  means ;  it  is  the 


AS    TOLD    BY    OTHERS.  43 

Devil  trying  to  put  out  the  light,  so  that  we  can't 
read  any  more.'  « Yes,'  replied  the  old  lady ; 
*  I  seed  'im  !  I  seed  'iin  !  as  he  tried  to  put  out 
the  burnin'  wick,  when  the  blaze  turned  blue.' 

66  The  tallow  dip  shortened  at  such  a  fearful  rate 
that  the  further  reading  had  to  be  abandoned.  It 
was  now  past  ten,  and  the  other  members  of  the 
family  retired.  The  MS.  was  carefully  put  away, 
and  directions  given  as  to  where  we  were  to  sleep. 
In  the  mean  time  Mother  Smith  loaded  a  clay  pipe 
with  tobacco,  which  she  ground  up  in  her  hands  ;  a 
broom  splint  was  lighted  in  the  candle,  and  the 
delicious  fumes  issued  in  clouds  from  the  old  lady's 
mouth. 

"  She  now  began  to  talk  incessantly  for  the  little 
time  that  remained,  and  told  me  at  some  length 
the  dream  that  she  had,  when  I  appeared  before 
her,  'in  the  nice  suit  of  clothes  and  ruffled  shirt,' 
as  she  expressed  it ;  and  continued  :  «  You'll  have 
visions  and  dreams,  mebby,  to-night ;  but  don't 
git  skeered ;  the  angel  of  the  Lord  will  protect 
you.' 

"  After  breakfast,  in  the  morning,  Mother  Smith 
followed  me  as  I  arose  from  the  table,  and  plied  me 
with  questions  as  to  whether  I  had  had  dreams, 
and  whether  I  had  seen  a  vision  that  '  skeered '  me. 
I  told  her  I  had  a  dream,  but  so  strange  that  I 
could  not  tell  it  to  her  or  any  one  else.  The  fact 
was  communicated  to  Harris  and  the  rest.  All 
saw  that  I  looked  sober,  and  I  determined  to  leave 
them  in  doubt  and  wonder. 

"  We  started  back  to  Palmyra,  Cowdery  bearing 
in  his  hand  the  sacred  scroll.  Mai-tin  was  exceed- 
ingly anxious  that  I  should  give  him  at  least  some 
flimpse  of  the  strange  things  I  had  seen  in  my 
ream.  I  told  him  that  was  impossible,  and  I  be- 
gan to  doubt  whether  I  ought  to  tell  it  to  any 
human  being.  They  all  became  interested  in  my 


44  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

reply ;  and  the  prophet  himself,  forgetting  his 
taciturnity,  said:  'I  can  tell  you  what  it  was.  I 
have  felt  just  as  you  do.  Wait,  and  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  will  open  your  eyes.'  Here  we  parted, 
and  I  returned  to  the  home  of  my  brother." 


EX-GOVEItNOH    HARDl^G'S    LETTER.        45 


CHAPTER    Y. 

EX-GOVERNOR    HARDING'S    .LETTER. Continued. 

CURIOUS  DEVELOPMENTS — HAKRIS'S  FRENZY — AN  INCIDENT  IN 
INDIANA — IN  UTAH — REFLECTIONS,  SUGGESTIONS,  ETC. 

"  ABOUT  two  weeks  after  this  I  met  Martin  Harris. 
He  was  glad  to  see  me ;  inquired  how  I  felt  since 
my  dream.  He  told  me  that  since  he  saw  me  at 
Mr.  Smith's,  he  had  seen  fearful  signs  in  the 
heavens.  That  he  was  standing  alone  one  night,  and 
saw  a  fiery  sword  let  down  out  of  heaven,  and  point- 
ing to  the  east,  west,  north,  and  south,  then  to  the 
hill  of  -Cumorah,  where  the  plates  of  Nephi  were 
found.  At  another  time,  he  said,  as  he  was  passing 
with  his  wagon  and  horses  from  town,  his  horses 
suddenly  stopped  and  would  not  budge  an  inch. 
When  he  plied  them  with  his  whip ^  they  com- 
menced snorting  and  pawing  the  earth  as  they  had 
never  done  before.  He  then  commenced  smelling 
brimstone,  and  knew  the  Devil  was  in  the  road, 
and  saw  him  plainly  as  he  walked  up  the  hill  and 
disappeared.  I  said,  <  What  did  he  look  like?' 

* '  He  replied  :  <  Stephen ,  I  will  give  you  the  best 
description  that  I  can.  Imagine  a  greyhound  as 
big  as  a  horse,  without  any  tail,  walking  upright 
on  his  hind  legs.'  * 

"I  looked  at  him  with  perfect  astonishment. 
6  Now,  Stephen,'  continued  he,  *  do  tell  me  your 
dream.'  I  dropped  my  head  and  answered  :  '  I 
am  almost  afraid  to  undertake  it.'  He  encour- 
aged me,  and  said  it  was  revealed  to  him  that  an- 

*  Mr.  Harris  ought  to  have  known  that  creature  could  not 
have  been  the  Devil,  as  his  majesty  most  surely  has  a  tail. — T.  G. 


46  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

other  vessel  was  to  be  chosen,  and  that  Joseph  had 
the  gift  of  interpreting'  dreams  the  same  as  Daniel, 
who  was  cast  into  the  lions'  den.  I  said,  '  Mr. 
Harris,  after  considering  the  matter,  I  conclude 
that  I  ought  not  to  repeat  my  dream  to  you,  only 
on  one  condition  :  that  you  will  pledge  your  honor 
not  to  tell  it  to  any  one.'  *  Oh,  do  let  me  tell  it 
to  Joseph.  He  can  tell  all  about  what  it  means.' 
'  Well,'  said  I,  '  What  I  mean  is,  you  may  tell  it 
to  whom  you  please,  only  you  shall  not  connect  my 
name  with  it,'  '  I'll  do  it !  I'll  do  it ! '  said  he, 
hastily.  '  Joseph  will  be  able  to  tell  who  it  was, 
the  same  as  if  I  told  the  name.'" 

[Here  the  narrator  proceeded  to  relate  a  wonder- 
ful dream  that  never  was  dreamed,  during  the  course 
of  which  he  took  occasion  to  describe  some  char- 
acters that  had  appeared  to  him  on  a  scroll — pre- 
senting some  of  them  with  a  pencil,  a  mixture  of 
stenographic  characters  and  the  Greek  alphabet, 
rudely  imitated.  These  were  handed  to  Mr. 
Harris.] 

"  Speechless  with  amazement,  he  looked  at  them 
for  a  moment,  and  then  springing  to  his  feet,  and 
turning  his  eyes  toward  heaven,  with  uplifted  hands, 
cried  out  : 

"  '  O  Lord,  God  !  the  very  characters  that  are 
upon  the  plates  of  Nephi ! ' 

"  He  looked  again  at  the  characters,  and  then  at 
me,  with  perfect  astonishment.  His  excitement  was 
such  that  I  became  positively  alarmed,  for  it  seemed 
to  me  that  he  was  going  crazy.  I  began  to  have 
some  compunctions  of  conscience  for  the  fraud  that 
I  had  practiced  upon  him ;  for  I  might  as  well  say 
just  here,  as  well  as  anywhere,  that  the  dream  had 
been  improvised  for  the  occasion.  He  suggested 
that  we  go  to  the  house  of  old  man  Smith  and  there 
relate  my  dream.  I  told  him  that  I  would  never 
repeat  it  again  to  anybody.  He  bade  me  good-bye, 
saying  :  '  You  are  a  chosen  vessel  of  the  Lord.' 


EX-GOVERNOR   HARDING  S  LETTER.        47 

< '  There  is  but  one  excuse  for  my  conduct  on  this 
occasion ;  that  was,  to  fathom  the  depth  of  his 
credulity. 

"  For  the  next  two  or  three  weeks  I  did  not  meet 
Harris  or  any  of  the  Smiths  or  Cowdery.  About 
four  weeks  afterwards  I  again  visited  Palmyra,  and 
^pent  part  of  the  day  in  the  printing-office,  where 
found  the  prophet,  Cowdery,  and  Harris  again. 
The  latter  took  me  by  the  hand  with  a  grip  and  a 
shake  that  were  full  of  meaning ;  even  the  prophet 
himself  shook  hands  with  me,  looking  me  steadily 
in  the  eye  as  if  new  ideas  possessed  him  in  regard 
to  myself;  and  it  was  evident  that  my  dream  had 
been  repeated  to  these  people,  and  that  it  was  a 
puzzle  to  them  all. 

*  *  In  the  meantime  the  printing  of  the  Boole  of 
Mormon  was  proceeding.  There  was  abundant 
evidence  that  the  proof  sheets  had  been  carefully 
corrected.  The  printing  was  done  on  a  lever  press 
of  that  period ;  and  when  a  sufficient  number  of 
pages  for  the  entire  edition  of  five  thousand  copies 
had  been  completed,  the  type  had  to  be  distributed. 
This  was  a  slow  process  in  comparison  with  what 
is  done  in  a  jobbing  office  of  to-day.  Mr.  Tucker, 
the  foreman,  had  just  received  from  Albany  a  font 
of  new  type,  and  had  set  up  with  his  own  hands  the 
title  page  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  preparations 
were  now  ready  for  the  first  impression.  About 
this  time  the  .prophet's  father  also  came  in.  He, 
too,  had  evidently  heard  of  my  dream,  and  shook 
my  hand  most  cordially.  Mr.  Grandin  and  two 
or  three  typos  were  present,  as  if  curious  in  seeing 
the  first  impression  of  the  title  page.  Tucker  took 
up  the  ink-balls  and  made  the  form  ready ;  then 
laying  the  blank  sheet  upon  it,  with  one  pull  at  the 
lever  the  work  was  done ;  then  taking  the  impres- 
sion, looked  at  it  a  moment,  passed  it  to  Cowdery, 
who  scanned  it  carefully,  and  passed  it  to  the 


48  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA.  / 

prophet  himself,  who  seemed  to  be  examining  every 
letter,  and  without  speaking  gave  it  into  the  hands 
of  his  father  and  Harris.  It  was  then  returned  to 
Tucker.  Of  course  we  all  looked  at  it  with  more 
or  less  curiosity,  and  the  work  was  pronounced 
excellent.  Tucker,  who  was  my  cousin,  then  handed 
it  to  me,  saying :  *  Here,  Steve,  I'll  give  this  to 
you.  You  may  keep  it  as  a  curiosity.'  I  thanked 
him,  and  put  it  carefully  in  my  pocket. 

' '  It  was  not  long  until  rumors  of  the  dream  had 
reached  the  ears  of  many  persons.  Upon  hearing- 
tins  I  felt  some  concerned,  for  I  did  not  want  to  be 
mixed  up  or  identified  with  this  thing  in  the  least. 
But  all  of  my  apprehension  soon  vanished,  when  I 
found  my  name  had  no  connection  with  it,  and  that 
the  dream  had  been  a  real  vision  of  the  prophet 
himself!  Of  course  this  relieved  me  of  all  appre- 
hension, and  greatly  increased  my  desire  to  make 
further  experiments  in  this  wild  fanaticism. 

"  My  next  subject  was  Calvin  Stoddard,  a  very 
clever  man,  who  had  been  a  kind  of  exhorter  among 
the  Methodists.  He  was  a  married  man,  and  lived 
with  his  wife  in  a  frame  house  with  unpainted 
weather-boarding,  that  had  become  loose  from  age 
and  exposure  to  wind  and  weather.  I  had  met 
Mr.  Stoddard  on  several  occasions,  and  his  conver- 
sation generally  turned  on  the  subject  of  the  new 
revelation.  He  said  that  we  were  living  in  the 
latter  days  spoken  of  in  the  Bible,  and  that  wonder- 
ful things  would  come  to  pass  on  the  earth  ;  that 
he  had  seen  signs  in  the  heavens  that  would  satisfy 
any  one  that  a  new  dispensation  was  coming.  That 
young  Joseph  had  had  a  dream  that  was  more 
wonderful  than  anything  he  had  ever  read  in  the 
book  of  Daniel,  and  that  if  the  village  of  Palmyra 
did  not  repent  it  would  meet  the  fate  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah. 

4 'Mr.  Tucker,  in  his  book,  has  referred  to  the 


EX-GOVERNOR    HARDING1  S   LETTER.        49 

call  that  was  given  to  Stoddard  on  one  occasion, 
to  preach  the  new  gospel.  In  the  main,  his  state- 
ment is  substantially  true ;  nevertheless,  it  does 
great  injustice  to  the  dramatic  eflect  of  the  call  that 
was  given.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  Stoddard  and 
his  wife  were  among  the  primitive  members  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  and  in  obedience  to  the  call,  con- 
tinued to  preach  the  best  that  he  could  to  the  close 
of  his  life.*  Requiscat  in  pace. 

"  It  was  now  getting  about  time  for  me  to  return 
AVest,  and  in  the  month  of  September,  1829, 1  took 
passage  on  a  canal  packet  for  Buffalo.  In  the  mean- 
time marvellous  stories  were  being  circulated 
throughout  the  neighborhood,  in  regard  to  the 
strange  dream  of  the  prophet,  and  the  celestial  call 
of  Calvin  Stoddard  to  preach  the  new  gospel.  I 
had  re,ceiATed  from  Harris  and  Cowdery  the  first 
and  second  chapters  of  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
These,  with  the  title  page  before  mentioned,  were 
carefully  put  away  in  my  trunk.  Three  or  four 
days  before  my  embarkation,  Martin  Harris,  in 
company  with  Cowdery,  met  me  at  the  village, 
manifesting  a  great  deal  of  concern  at  my  intended 
departure,  informing  me  that  young  Joseph  had 
been  having  visions.  The  day  was  fixed  when  I 
was  to  leave,  and  we  separated,  and  the  reader 
may  judge  of  my  astonishment  when  Harris  and 
Cowdery  came  on  board  the  boat  at  the  first  lock 
below  the  village,  and  approached  me  very  much 
excited,  Mai-tin  particularly.  He  wanted  to  know 
if  I  was  really  starting  West.  I  informed  him  that 
I  was  going  directly  home  to  Indiana.  He  said 
that  the  night  before  the  angel  of  the  Lord  had 
visited  Joseph,  and  informed  him  that  I  was  a 

*  For  the  particulars  of  this  remarkable  conversion,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  account  to  be  found  in  another 
chapter.  Mr.  Stoddard  was  married  to  one  of  the  prophet's 
sisters,  and  lived  and  died  in  the  faith  in  Illinois. — EDITOR. 


50  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

chosen  vessel  of  the  Lord,  and  they  must  pursue  me 
at  least  as  far  as  Rochester,  and  inform  me  of  the 
commands  of  the  angel,  and  that  I  must  remain  in 
Palmyra  until  the  printing  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  completed ;  after  which  I  must  go  to  the  city 
of  London  and  there  remain  until  the  Lord  would 
inform  me  what  to  do.     This,  I  confess,  was  a  new 
phase  in  this  wild  fanaticism,  and  I  felt  very  much 
puzzled  and  confounded.     The  first  I   said  was  : 
6  Where  is  the  money  to    come  from  to  pay  my 
passage   to   London?'     'Oh,'   said   Martin,    *  the 
Lord  will  find  the  money.     The  Boole  of  Mormon 
will  sell  for  thousands  and  thousands  of  dollars, 
and  I  can  furnish  the  money  any  day,  if  necessary.' 
1  <  I  confess  that  for  a  time  I  felt  very  much  con- 
fused.    I  had  bidden  all  my  friends  good-bye,  and 
could  not  have  returned  to  Palmyra  in  company  with 
these  men  without  seriously  compromising  myself. 
And  yet,  what  a  temptation  was  here  presented  to 
me  to  play  the  role  of  the  hypocrite  and  villain  !     I 
had  no  complications,  either  of  love  or  business, 
and  was  as  free  as  the  winds  that  sweep  over  the 
prairies.     Many  times,  since  Mormonism  has  be- 
come a  most  dangerous  proselytism  throughout  all 
Christendom,  have  I  asked  myself:    What  if  I  had 
accepted  the  apple  plucked  from  the  tree  of  knowl- 
edge of  good  and  evil,  crucified  my  own  sense  of 
honor  and  manhood,  and  sold  myself  to  the  devil 
of  ambition  !     It  is  hardly  probable,  notwithstand- 
ing all  this,  that  the  Dead  Sea  fruit  would  have 
turned  to  ashes  on  my  lips. 

"They  continued  with  me  until  we  arrived  at 
Rochester,  where  we  parted.  In  the  mean  time  it 
seemed  as  if  these  messengers  sent  to  intercept  me 
would  hardly  take  <No'  for  an  answer.  Martin, 
with  great  earnestness,  dwelt  upon  the  danger  of 
disobeying  the  commands  of  the  Lord,  and  proph- 
esied that  I  would  soon  be  removed  from  the  earth, 


EX-GOVERNOR    HARDING'S    LETTER.      51 

and  most  probably  before  I  reached  my  destination, 
quoting  several  passages  of  Scripture  fitting  my 
case.  On  leaving,  they  shook  me  by  the  hand 
most  heartily,  Martin  warning  me  of  the  dangers 
ahead.  The  whole  scene  was  worthy  of  the  pro- 
foundest  study.  Here  were  two  men,  whose  names  1 
will  go  down  through  the  ages  as  witnesses  to  the  '' 
divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  oj  Mormon,  whose 
superstition  and  credulity  were  such  as  to  unseat 
all  confidence  in  what  are  termed  miracles ;  and 
yet,  at  that  time,  the  evidence  of  Martin  Harris 
would  have  been  received  in  a  court  of  justice 
against  all  of  the  Smiths,  Pages,  and  TVhitmers, 
who  have  published  to  the  world,  in  the  presence  of 
God,  that  they  had  '  seen  and  hefted '  the  mirac- 
ulous plates  !  This,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
before  Brigham  Young,  Heber  Kimball,  or  John 
Taylor  had  ever  heard  of  the  new  dispensation. 

"In  1847,  after  the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons 
from  Nauvoo,  I  came  home  one  Saturday  night 
from  court,  and  found  a  stranger  at  my  house. 
This  was  not  remarkable,  for  it  was  generally  un- 
derstood that  my  doors  had  never  been  shut  in  the 
face  of  any  human  being  in  distress,  black  or  white. 
He  was  a  middle-aged  man,  an  Englishman,  named 
Campbell.  He  told  me  that  he  had  come  from  the 
.city  of  Xauvoo,  and  was  going  to  some  place  in 
Ohio  ;  had  heard  of  me  before  he  left  Nauvoo,  and 
hoped  I  would  not  consider  it  an  intrusion  if  he 
stayed  over  until  Monday  morning.  He  was  really 
an  inoffensive-looking  person,  and  was  possessed  of 
considerable  intelligence.  He  had  emigrated  from 
England  a  few  years  before,  and  was,  by  trade,  a 
copper-plate  engraver.  During  his  stay  in  my 
house,  I  informed  him  that  I  had  the  first  title  page 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  that  was  ever  printed,  and 
briefly  related  to  him  how  it  came  into  my  posses- 
sion. I  produced  it,  and  as  he  examined  the  strange 


52  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

relic  it  was  evident  that  a  feeling  of  awe  and  ven- 
eration had  come  over  him.  «  Is  it  possible  !  Is 
it  possible  ! '  exclaimed  he,  his  eyes  still  fixed  upon 
it.  '  The  hand  of  the  Lord  is  in  it.'  He  contin- 
ued to  examine  it  with  so  much  fascination,  I  said  : 
'  You  take  so  much  interest  in  this  that  I  will  give 
it  to  you.' 

"  *  Will  you  let  me  take  it  away?'  said  he. 
66  '  Oh, yes,  sir,  you  may  keep  it  as  your  own,'  I  said. 

"  '  Thank  you,  sir  !  God  bless  you.  The  angel 
of  the  Lord  must  have  directed  me  to  this  house.' 
He  said  it  would  add  greatly  to  the  value  of  the 
relic,  if  I  would  write  something  over  my  own 
name.  I  told  him  I  would  do  so,  and  wrote  the 
following : 

"  '  This  is  the  first  title  page  of  the  Bool:  of  Mor- 
mon that  was  ever  printed.  It  was  printed  in  the 
presence  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Joseph  Smith,  Sr., 
Oliver  Cowdery,  Martin  Harris,  and  myself,  at 
the  office  of  the  Wayne  Sentinel,  Palmyra,  New 
York,  August,  1829, — and  which  was  examined  and 
handled  by  all  the  persons  above  named,  and  the 
same  is  hereby  respectfully  presented  to  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints.  STEPHEN 
S.  HARDING,  of  Milan,  Ind.' 

"  It  will  be  seen,  hereafter,  how  a  little  crumb  of 
bread  cast  upon  the  waters  will  be  returned.  This 
man  was  evidently  as  honest  and  sincere  in  his  be- 
lief as  any  in  ember  of  the  most  orthodox  church. 
When  I  went  to  the  territory  of  Utah  as  Governor, 
in  1862,  Mr.  Campbell  was  almost  the  first  one  to 
meet  me.  He  held  a  clerkship  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
He  was  really  glad  to  see  me,  and  shaking  nry  hand, 
said : 

"  *  Governor,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  in  it.  This 
is  revelation.'  The  deep  grief  that  was  settled 
upon  him  was  unexplained,  until  he  informed  me 


EX-GOVEIiNOE    HARD  ING'S   LETTER.       53 

that  his  eldest  son,  a  young  man  of  promise,  had 
been  drowned  a  day  before  in  the  river  Jordan,  and 
his  body  had  just  been  recovered,  and  was  then 
lying  at  his  house  ;  that  he  and  his  wife  were  nearly 
overwhelmed  with  sorrow  ;  but  upon  hearing  of  my 
arrival,  he  had  left  her  in  tears  and  came  to  pay  his 
respects  to  me,  and  bid  me  welcome.  Poor  fellow  ! 
It  would  have  been  a  hard  heart  that  would  not 
have  gone  out  in  sympathy  for  him. 

"  I  soon  learned  that  the  first  title  page  had  been 
well  preserved  in  the  Historical  Society  and  Mu- 
seum. It  had  been  placed  between  two  panes  of 
window  glass  in  a  stout  frame.  By  this  means  it 
could  be  carefully  handled  and  examined  without 
danger  of  defacement.  It  had  been  examined  by 
thousands  and  thousands  ;  and  after  my  arrival  the 
number  increased.  I  looked  upon  it  one  day  my- 
self, in  company  with  a  gentleman  from  San  Fran- 
cisco. I  was  soon  surrounded  by  a  large  company 
of  simple-minded  people,  who,  after  my  appoint- 
ment as  Governor  was  known,  had  heard  a  thou- 
sand times  from  bishops  and  elders,  that  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  was  in  it.  But,  alas  !  the  faces  that  I 
had  known  in  Palmyra  could  not  be  seen.  The 
prophet  had  been  overtaken  by  retributive  justice. 
Hyrum,  his  brother,  had  also  paid  the  penalty. 
The  father  and  mother  had  disappeared,  and  poor 
Martin  Harris  had  been  expelled,  trampled  upon, 
and  insulted  by  the  prophet  himself  in  the  zenith 
of  his  power,  and  was  now  a  wanderer  and  a  vag- 
abond. Cowdery  had  fared  little  better.  Sidney 
Rigdon  was  exiled.  Unseen  hands  had  been  turn- 
ing the  wheel  of  fortune.  <  My  hand-maiden, 
Emma  Smith  '  (referred  to  in  the  revelation  that 
cost  the  prophet  his  life) ,  was  the  wife  of  a  Gentile, 
and  the  third  Joseph  Smilh,  eldest  son  of  the 
prophet,  had  to  appeal  to  the  Governor,  asking  for 
protection,  before  he  dared  enter  the  dominions  of 


54  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA? 

the  new  hierarch.     The  whole  thing  seemed  to  me 
more  like  a  romance  than  a  reality. 

' '  In  your  second  letter  you  ask  me  certain  ques- 
tions, which  I  will  now  briefly  answer.  Oliver 
Cowdery,  the  scribe  of  the  prophet,  was  a  young 
man  of  about  twenty-four  or  twenty-five,  about  the 
age  of  Smith.  I  had  never  known  him  previous  to 
my  return  to  Palmyra.  He  had  been  a  school- 
teacher in  country  schools,  and  I  am  certain  had 
little  or  no  acquaintance  with  English  grammar  at 
that  time.  If  this  same  Oliver  Cowdery  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  Ohio,  it  must 
have  been  after  the  time  that  I  met  him ;  and  if  he 
ever  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  dead  languages, 
it  was  certainly  afterwards.  I  never  saw,  to  my 
knowledge,  either  Sidney  Kigdon,  or  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  the  latter  of  whom  was  shot  by  Dr.  McLane 
for  proselyting  his  wife.  I  knew  his  brother,  Or- 
son Pratt,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  also  Mrs.  Mc- 
Lane, who  had  been  '  sealed '  to  another  man. 

"As  for  *  Joe  Smith,'  the  prophet,  I  have  long 
been  satisfied  that  his  intellectual  forces  as  a  man 
have  been  greatly  underrated.*  In  deception  and 
low  cunning  he  has  had  no  peer.  Mahomet  was  a 
much  greater  man  intellectually  ;  but  he  never  could 
have  played  the  part  of  Joe  Smith,  the  Mormon 
Prophet.  Ignorant  as  he  is  represented  to  have 
been,  still  he  was  familiar  with  the  Scriptures,  and 
never  tired  of  reading  the  miracles  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament and  in  the  New.  The  revelations  that  he 
pretended  to  have  had,  were  composed  and  written 
by  somebody,  certainly  not  Solomon  Spaulding. 
The  most  of  them  evince  quite  as  much  talent  in 
composition  as  parts  of  the  Manuscript  Found. 
The  question  again  recurs,  Who  was  the  author  of 
these  Revelations?  His  last  one  at  Nauvoo,  in 

*  Our  opinion  is  that  they  have  been  greatly  over-rated. — 
EDITOR. 


EX-GOVERNOR    HARDING  S    LETTER.       55 

184-,  authorizing  Polygamy  and  spiritual  mar- 
riages, wherein  the  Lord  commanded  the  prophet 
not  to  put  his  property  out  of  his  hands,  could 
hardly  have  been  written  by  Oliver  Cowdery,  the 
Seneca  County  lawyer,  unless  he  put  into  the 
mouth  of  the  Lord  the  language  of  a  country  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  There  is  another  reason,  how- 
ever, of  much  greater  significance,  that  Cowdery 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  revelation,  for  it  was 
about  that  time  that  he  and  Martin  Harris  had 
fallen  into  disgrace  in  the  Church — had  been  ex- 
communicated, and  published  in  the  court  journal 
of  the  prophet  as  « liars  '  and  «  white  niggers.'  * 

4 'That  Spalding's  Manuscript  Found  was  the 
real  foundation  of  Mormonism,  I  have  no  doubt. 
When  he  wrote  his  romance  in  Ohio,  surrounded 
by  evidences  of  a  pre-historic  race,  the  sight  of 
canoes  at  that  time  in  general  use,  would  furnish 
the  idea  and  model  of  the  sharp-pointed  ships,  '  of 
the  length  of  a  tree/  constructed  at  the  ship-yards 
of  the  Land  Bountiful,  mentioned  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon.  All  that  he  had  to  do,  in  the  conception 
of  his  model,  was  to  put  one  canoe  on  top  of  an- 
other, bottom-side  up,  and  the  idea  supplemented 
with  breathing  holes,  is  almost  complete.  The 
bellows  made  from  the  skins  of  beasts,  by  boss  ship- 
carpenters  of  Bountiful,  his  kindling  a  fire  by 
striking  two  stones  together,  and  leaking  tools  for 
the  workmen  out  of  crude  iron  ore,  are  so  inex- 
pressive of  poetic  imagery,  that  I  agree  with  you, 
it  seems  improbable  that  a  clergyman  who  had 

*  Here  the  Governor  misapprehends  our  point.  We,  nor  any 
one,  ever  supposed  that  Spalding  had  ever  had  anything  to  do 
with  the  "Revelations."  Our  suggestion  was  to  the  effect  that 
it  may  have  been  Cowdery  i'nstead  of  Rigdon,  who  somehow 
obtained  the  Manuscript  Found,  and  placed  it  in  Smith's 
hands,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Imposture,  and  that  they  two 
manipulated  it  into  the  Book  of  Mormon,  while  pretending  to 
"  translate"  and  "  transcribe." — EDITOR. 


56  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  had  ever  been  its 
author.  These  portions  of  the  MS.  fall  below  the 
dignity  of  criticism.  There  are  other  portions  that 
might  readily  be  attributed  to  Mr.  Spalding. 

"  When  I  was  in  Palmyra  in  1829,  I  heard  the 
particulars  of  the  incident  as  related  by  Mr.  Tucker, 
when  the  Smith  family  was  out  of  meat,  and  the 
manner  in  which  the  black  wether  of  William  Staf- 
ford had  been  obtained.  But  I  refer  the  reader  to 
the  account  given  in  Mr.  Tucker's  book.  The  best 
part  of  the  story,  however,  had  been  forgotten  by 
Mr.  T.,  as  illustrative  of  the  cunning  of  the  young 
money-digger.  When  Stafford  was  told  it  required 
the  sacrifice  of  a  black  sheep  in  order  to  reach  the 
hidden  treasure,  it  was  not  plain  to  him  why  the 
blood  of  one  sheep  was  not  as  good  as  that  of  an- 
other. His  black  wether,  that  had  been  selected 
by  young  Joe,  was  large  and  in  excellent  condition 
for  mutton.  Stafford  hesitated,  and  was  loth  to 
give  him  up,  offering  a  white  wether  of  smaller 
size,  yet  in  good  condition.  But  the  coming  prophet 
was  not  to  be  foiled  in  his  purpose,  and  resorted  to 
logic  that  confounded  the  objector.  <  The  reason 
why  it  must  be  a  black  sheep/  said  the  young  de- 
ceiver, '  is  because  I  have  found  the  treasure  by 
means  of  the  black  art.'  This,  of  course,  was  un- 
answerable, and  the  black  wether  was  given  up. 

"  With  malice  toward  none,  and  charity  for  all, 
I  subscribe  myself, 

'*  Respectfully  yours, 

"  STEPHEN  S.  HARDING." 


PROFESSOR    ANTHON'S   STORY.  57 


CHAPTER    VI. 

PROFESSOR  ANTHON'S  STORY. 
A  PLAIN  STATEMENT  WHICH  {EVERYBODY  CAN  BBLIEVE. 

SMITH,  it  will  be  remembered,  endeavored  to  gain 
credence  for  his  story  by  falsifying  men  of  science 
as  to  the  character  of  his  hieroglyphics  and  their 
translation.  See  his  story  as  from  Professor  "  An- 
thony," in  a  previous  chapter.  A  few  years  after 
the  appearance  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the 
publicity  of  his  name  in  connection  with  it,  Pro- 
fessor Anthon,  in  reply  to  inquiries,  made  the 
following  statement : 

"NEW  YORK,  Feb.  17,  1834. 
"  Some  years  ago,  a  plain,  apparently  simple- 
hearted  farmer,  called  on  me  with  a  note  from  Dr. 
Mitchell,  of  our  city,  now  dead,  requesting  me  to 
decipher,  if  possible,  the  paper  which  the  farmer 
would  hand  me.  Upon  examining  the  paper  in 
question,  I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
all  a  trick — perhaps  a  hoax.  When  I  asked  the 
person  who  brought  it,  how  he  obtained  the  writing, 
he  gave  me  the  following  account:  A  'golden 
book,'  consisting  of  a  number  of  plates  fastened 
together  by  wires  of  the  same  material,  had  been 
dug  up  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  along  with  it  an  enormous  pair  of 
*  spectacles  ! '  These  spectacles  were  so  large, 
that  if  any  person  attempted  to  look  through  them, 


58  THE    PEOPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

his  two  eyes  would  look  through  one  glass  only — 
the  spectacles  in  question  being  altogether  too  large 
tor  the  human  face.  '  Whoever,'  he  said,  *  ex- 
amined the  plates  through  the  glasses,  was  enabled 
not  only  to  read  them,  but  fully  to  understand  their 
meaning.' 

"All  this  knowledge,  however,  was  confined  to  a 
young  man,  who  had  the  trunk  containing  the  book 
and  spectacles  in  his  sole  possession.  This  young 
man  was  placed  behind  a  curtain,  in  a  garret  in  a 
farm-house,  and  being  thus  concealed  from  -view, 
he  put  on  the  spectacles  occasionally,  or,  rather, 
looked  through  one  of  the  glasses,  deciphered  the 
characters  in  the  book,  and  having  committed  some 
of  them  to  paper,  handed  copies  from  behind  the 
curtain  to  those  who  stood  outside.  Not  a  word 
was  said  about  their  being  deciphered  by  the  '  gift 
of  God.'  Everything  in  this  way  was  effected  by 
the  large  pair  of  spectacles.  The  farmer  added 
that  he  had  been  requested  to  contribute  a  sum  of 
money  toward  the  publication  of  the  *  golden 
book,'  the  contents  of  which  would,  as  he  was  told, 
produce  an  entire  change  in  the  world,  and  save  it 
from  ruin.  So  urgent  had  been  these  solicitations, 
that  he  intended  selling  his  farm  and  giving  the 
amount  to  those  who  wished  to  publish  the  plates. 
As  a  last  precautionary  step,  he  had  resolved  to 
come  to  New  York,  and  obtain  the  opinion  of  the 
*  learned '  about  the  meaning  of  the  paper  which 
he  had  brought  with  him,  and  which  had  been  given 
him  as  a  part  of  the  contents  of  the  book. 

44  The  paper  in  question  was,  in  fact,  a  singular 
scroll.  It  consisted  of  all  kinds  of  singular  char- 
acters, disposed  in  columns,  and  had  evidently  been 
prepared  by  some  person  who  had  before  him  at 
the  lime  a  book  containing  various  alphabets ; 
Greek  and  Hebrew  letters,  crosses  and  flourishes, 
Roman  letters,  inverted  or  placed  sideways,  were 


PROFESSOR    ANTHON'S   STORY.  59 

arranged  and  placed  in  perpendicular  columns,  and 
the  whole  ended  in  a  rude  delineation  of  a  circle, 
divided  into  various  compartments,  arched  with 
various  strange  marks,  and  evidently  copied  after 
the  Mexican  calendar,  given  by  Humboldt,  but 
copied  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  betray  the  source 
whence  it  was  derived.  I  am  thus  particular  as  to 
the  contents  of  the  paper,  inasmuch  as  I  have  fre- 
quently conversed  with  my  friends  on  the  subject 
since  the  Mormon  excitement  began,  and  well  re- 
member that  the  paper  contained  anything  else  but 
'  Egyptian  hieroglyphics.' 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

4 'CHARLES  ANTHON." 

Thus  it  appears  that  Martin  Harris  had  told  the 
Professor  a  straight  story  in  regard  to  the  matter, 
as  it  had  been  represented  to  him ;  that  the  book 
of  gold  plates,  held  together  with  rings,  had  been 
dug  up  in  Northern  New  York ;  that  they  were 
being  translated  by  a  young  man  behind  a  curtain, 
through  the  medium  of  the  Urira  and  Thummim, 
which  were  generally  talked  of  as  spectacles — that 
it  was  designed  to  publish  the  translation,  and  that 
he  proposed  to  contribute  money  for  the  purpose — 
(he  already  had  fifty  dollars  and  the  expenses  of 
this  trip  in  the  enterprise.)  And  no  man  in  his 
senses  can  be  made  to  believe  that  Professor  An- 
thon,  with  the  reputation  he  possessed  as  a  scientist 
and  man  of  honor,  ever  made  the  reply  to  Harris 
that  is  ascribed  to  him  in  Smith's  narrative. 

This  letter  of  Anthon's  was  in  reply  to  inquiries 


60  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

made  of  him  by  Mr.  Howe,  and  first  appeared  in 
his  expose,  Mormonism  Unveiled.  At  a  sub- 
sequent date,  Kev.  T.  W.  Coit  addressed  a  note  of 
inquiry  to  Professor  Anthon,  and  received  in  reply 
the  substance  of  the  foregoing,  to  which  he  added 
the  following : 

"The  matter  rested  here  for  a  considerable  time, 
until  one  day,  when  I  had  ceased  entirely  to  think  of 
the  countryman  and  his  paper,  he  paid  me  a  second 
visit.  He  now  brought  with  him  a  duodecimo 
volume,  which  he  said  was  a  translation  into  Eng- 
lish of  the  *  Golden  Bible.'  He  also  stated,  that, 
notwithstanding  his  original  determination,  he  had 
been  induced  eventually  to  sell  his  farm,  and  apply 
the  money  to  the  publication  of  the  book,  and  had 
received  the  golden  plates  as  a  security  for  pay- 
ment. He  begged  my  acceptance  of  the  volume, 
assuring  me  that  it  would  be  found  extremely  in- 
teresting, and  that  it  was  already  *  making  a  great 
noise'  in  the  upper  part  of  the  State.  Suspecting 
now,  that  some  serious  trick  was  on  foot,  and  that 
my  plain-looking  visitor  might  be  in  fact  a  very 
cunning  fellow,  I  declined  his  present,  and  merely 
contented  myself  with  a  slight  examination  of  the 
volume  while  he  stood  by.  The  more  I  declined 
receiving  it,  however,  the  more  urgent  the  man  be- 
came in  offering1  the  book,  until  at  last  I  told  him 
plainly  that  if  he  left  the  volume,  as  he  said  he  in- 
tended to  do,  I  should  most  assuredly  throw  it 
after  him  as  he  departed.  I  then  asked  him  how 
he  could  be  so  foolish  as  to  sell  his  farm  and  en- 
gage in  this  affair ;  and  requested  him  to  tell  me  if 
the  plates  were  really  of  gold.  In  answer  to  this 
latter  inquiry,  he  said,  that  he  had  not  seen  the 


PROFESSOR    ANTHON'S   STORY.  61 

plates  themselves,  which  were  carefully  locked  up 
in  a  trunk,  but  that  he  had  the  trunk  in  his  pos- 
session. I  advised  him  by  all  means  to  open  the 
trunk  and  examine  its  contents,  and  if  the  plates 
proved  to  be  of  gold,  which  I  did  not  believe  at 
all,  to  sell  them  immediately.  His  reply  was,  that 
if  he  opened  the  trunk,  the  '  curse  of  Heaven  would 
descend  upon  him  and  his  children.  However,' 
added  he,  'I  will  agree  to  open  it,  provided  you 
will  take  the  '  curse  of  Heaven  '  upon  yourself,  for 
having  advised  me  to  the  step.'  I  told  him  I  was 
perfectly  willing  to  do  so,  and  begged  him  to  hasten 
home  and  examine  the  trunk,  for  he  would  find 
that  he  had  been  cheated.  He  promised  to  do  as 
I  recommended,  and  left  me,  taking  his  book  with 
him.  I  have  never  seen  him  since. 

"  Sjuch  is  a  plain  statement  of  all  that  I  know 
respecting  the  Mormons.  My  impression  now  is, 
that  the  plain-looking  countryman  was  none  other 
than  the  prophet  Smith  himself,  who  assumed  an 
appearance  of  great  simplicity  in  order  to  entrap 
me,  if  possible,  into  some  recommendations  of  his 
book.  That  the  prophet  aided  me,  by  his  inspira- 
tion, in  interpreting  the  volume,  is  only  one  of  the 
many  amusing  falsehoods  which  the  Mornionites 
utter  relative  to  my  participation  in  their  doctrines. 
Of  these  doctrines  I  know  nothing  whatever,  nor 
have  I  heard  a  single  discourse  from  any  one  of 
their  preachers,  although  I  have  often  felt  a  strong 
curiosity  to  become  an  auditor,  since  my  friends 
tell  me  that  they  frequently  name  me  in  their  ser- 
mons, and  even  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  I  am  al- 
luded to  in  the  prophecies  of  Scripture  ! 

4 <  If  what  I  have  here  written  shall  prove  of  any 
service  in  opening  the  eyes  of  some  of  their  de- 
luded followers  to  the  real  designs  of  those  who 
profess  to  be  the  apostles  of  Mormonism,  it  will 


62  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

afford  me  a  satisfaction  equalled,  I  have  no  doubt, 
only  by  that  which  you  yourself  will  feel  on  this 
subject. 

"  I  remain,  very  respectfully  and  truly, 
"  Your  friend, 

"  CHAS.  AXTHOX. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Coit,  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y." 


A    TERRIBLE    DILEMMA. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

A    TERRIBLE    DILEMMA. 

Two  REVELATIONS  AND  THEIR  CAUSES — HARRIS  AND  SATAN 
UNJUSTLY  ACCUSED — THE  REAL  CULPRIT  UNKNOWN — A 
HAPPY  RUSE  SOLVES  THE  DIFFICULTY. 

AND  now  comes  a  most  curious  part  of  this  re- 
markable story.  Mr.  Harris  had  become  the  aman- 
uensis to  the  prophet  while  engaged  in  translating 
the  plates,  and  from  April  to  June,  1828,  had 
written  one  hundred  and  sixteen  pages  of  foolscap, 
as  called  out  to  him  by  the  translator,  using  the 
Urim  and  Thummim.  Such  valuable  service  he 
thought  was  worthy  of  recognition  from  a  higher 
source,  so  he  teased  that  the  instrument  might  be 
put  into  requisition  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  if  he 
nlight  not  be  permitted  to  carry  the  writings  home 
for  exhibition  to  his  wife  and  friends.  Twice  the 
Lord  pointedly  refused ;  but  upon  his  insisting, 
leave  was  granted — only  on  the  express  condition 
that  they  must .  be  shown  to  only  five  persons, 
namety  :  his  brother,  Preserved  Harris,  his  father 
and  mother,  his  wife,  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Cobb. 
And  he  was  required  to  enter  into  a  most  solemn 
covenant  to  abide  by  the  agreement.  He  took  the 


64  THE  PROPIIE  T  OF  PA  LMYPA. 

writings,  ]mt  failed  to  fulfil  his  covenant  (so  this 
story  runs) ,  and  they  were  taken  from  him  by 
stratagem,  "and  have  never  been  recovered  nor 
obtained  back  again  unto  this  day." 

Here  was  a  difficulty  that  was  likely  to  prove 
disastrous,  and  perhaps  never  could  have  been 
overcome  had  it  not  been  for  the  ingenuity  of  the 
messenger — and  the  Lord.  Says.  Smith  : 

"  I  was  walking  out  a  little  distance  when  behold 
the  former  heavenly  messenger  appeared  and  handed 
me  the  Urim  and  Thummim  again  (for  it  had  been 
taken  from  me  in  consequence  of  my  having  wearied 
the  Lord  in  asking  for  the  privilege  of  letting 
Martin  Harris  take  the  writings,  which  he  had  lost 
by  transgression),  and  I  inquired  of  the  Lord 
through  them,  and  obtained  the  following  revela- 
tion." 

This  revelation  is  given  here  entire,  as  being  the 
first  deemed  by  its  author  worthy  of  being  pre- 
served, among  the  long  series  of  pretended  com- 
munications from  the  Almighty  ;  and  as  furnishing, 
together  with  another  on  the  same  subject,  also 
given  in  full,  indubitable  evidence  of  the  falsity  and 
absurdity,  and  blasphemous  character  of  his  pre- 
tensions. The  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
the  authentic  collection  of  these  revelations,  con- 
tains another,  for  which  a  prior  date  is  given ;  but 
it  is  evidently  an  after-thought,  and  was  placed 
there  as  an  introduction  to  those  that  follow. 


A     TERRIBLE    DILEMMA.  65 

REVELATION  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  given  July, 
1828,  concerning  certain  manuscripts  on  the  first 
part  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  had  been 
taken  from  tlie  possession  of  Martin  Harris. 

1.  The   works,    and  the  designs,  and  the  pur- 
poses of   God,   cannot   be  frustrated,   neither  can 
they  come  to   nought,  for  God  doth  not  walk  in 
crooked  paths  ;  neither  doth  he  turn  to  the  right 
hand  nor  to  the  left ;  neither  doth  he  vary  from 
that  which  he   hath    said  ;  therefore  his  paths  are 
straight  and  his  course  is  one  eternal  round. 

2.  Remember,    remember,    that   it   is   not   the 
work  of  God  that   is   frustrated,  but  the  work  of 
men ;  for  although   a  man  may  have  many  revela- 
tions, and  have  power  to  do  many  mighty  works, 
yet,  if  he  boasts  in   his  own  strength,  and  sets  at 
nought  the  counsels  of  God,  and  follows  after  the 
dictates  ot   his   own    will,    and  carnal   desires,   he 
must  fall  and  incur  the   vengeance  of  a  just  God 
upon  him. 

3.  Behold,  you  have  been  intrusted  with  these 
things,  but  how  strict  were  your  commandments ; 
and  remember,  also,  the  promises  which  were  made 
unto  you,  if  you  did  not  transgress  them ;  and  be- 
hold how  oft  you  have  transgressed  the  command- 
ments and  the  laws  of  God,  and  have  gone  on  in 
the  persuasions   of  men  ;  yet  behold,  you  should 
not  have  feared  man  more  than  God,  although  men 
set  at  nought  the  counsels  of  God,  and  despise  his 
words,  yet  you   should   have   been  faithful  and  lie 
would  have  extended   his  arm,  and   supported  you 
against  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  adversary,  and  he 
would  have  been  with  you  in  every  time  of  trouble. 

4.  Behold,    thou    art   Joseph,   and   thou    wast 
chosen  to  do  the  work  of  the  Lord,  but  because  of 
transgression,  if  thou  art  not  aware  thou  wilt  fall, 
but  remember  God  is  merciful ;  therefore  repent  of 


66  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALbfYRA. 

that  which  thou  hast  done,  which  is  contrary  to  the 
commandment  which  I  gave  you,  and  thou  art  still 
chosen,  and  art  again  called  to  the  work ;  except 
thou  do  this,  thou  shalt  be  delivered  up  and  become 
as  other  men,  and  have  no  more  gift. 

5.  And  when    thou    deliveredst  up  that  which 
God  had  given  thee  sight  and  power  to  translate, 
thou  deliveredst  up  that  which  was  sacred,  into  the 
hands  of  a  wicked  man,  who  has  set  at  nought  the 
counsels  of  God,  and  has  broken  the  most  sacred 
promises,  which  were  made  before  God,  and  has 
depended  upon  his   own  judgment,    and    boasted 
in  his  own  wisdom,  and   this  is  the  reason  that 
thou  hast  lost  thy  privileges  for  a  season,  for  thou 
hast  suffered  the    counsel   of  thy  director   to   be 
trampled  upon  from  the  beginning. 

6.  Nevertheless,   my  work    shall  go  forth,   for 
inasmuch  as  the  knowledge  of  a  Saviour  has  come 
unto  the  world,  through  the  testimony  of  the  Jews, 
even  so  shall  the  knowledge  of  a  Saviour  come  unto 
my  people,  and  to  the  Nephites,  and  the  Jacobites, 
and  the  Josephites,  and  the  Zoramites,  through  the 
testimony  of  their  fathers,  and  this  testimony  shall 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Lamanites,  and  the 
Lemuel  it  es,  and  the  Ishmaelites,  who  dwindled  in 
unbelief  because  of  the  iniquity  of  their  fathers, 
whom  the  Lord  has  suffered  to  destroy  their  breth- 
ren the  Nephites,  because  of  their  iniquities  and 
their  abominations ;  and  for  this  very  purpose  are 
these  plates  preserved  which  contain  these  records, 
that  the  promises  of  the  Lord  might  be  fulfilled, 
which  he  made  to  his  people ;  and  that  the  Laman- 
ites might  come  to  a  knowledge  of  their  fathers, 
and  that  they  might  know  the  promises  of  the  Lord, 
and  that  they  may  believe  the  gospel  and  rely  upon 
the  merits  of  Jiesus  Christ,  and  be  glorified  through 
faith  on  his  name,  and  that  through  their  repent- 
ance they  might  be  saved.     Amen, 


A     TERRIBLE    DILEMMA.  67 

The  Urim  and  Thummim  were  now  taken  from 
Jiim,  but  restored  in  a  few  days,  and  the  following 
revelation  was  forthcoming,  dating  ten  months  after 
the  other.  The  long  delay  will  probably  be  made 
apparent  in  the  sequel 


given  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  May, 
1829,  informing  Mm  of  the  alteration  of  the 
manuscript  of  the  fore  part  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon. 

1.  Now,  behold,  I  say  unto  you,  that  because 
you  delivered  up  those  writings  which  you  had 
power  given  unto  you  to  translate,  by  the  means  of 
the  Urim  and  Thummim,  into  the  hands  of  a  wicked 
man,  you  have  lost  them  ;  and  you  also  lost  your 
gift  at  the  same  time,  and  your  mind  became  dark- 
ened ;  nevertheless,  it  is  now  restored  unto  you 
again,  therefore  see  that  you  are  faithful  and  con- 
tinue on  unto  the  finishing  of  the  remainder  of  the 
work  of  translation  as  you  have  begun  ;  do  not  run 
faster  or  labor  more  than  you  have  strength  and 
means  provided  to  enable  you  to  translate  ;  but  be 
diligent  unto  the  end  ;  pray  always  that  you  may 
come  off  conqueror  ;  yea,  that  you  may  conquer 
Satan,  and  that  you  may  escape  the  hands  of  the 
servants  of  Satan,  that  do  uphold  his  work.  Be- 
hold, they  have  sought  to  destroy  you  ;  yea,  even 
the  man  in  whom  you  have  trusted,  has  sought  to 
destroy  you.  And  for  this  cause  I  said  he  is  a 
wicked  man,  for  he  has  sought  to  take  away  the 
things  wherewith  you  have  been  entrusted  ;  and  he 
has  also  sought  to  destroy  your  gift,  and  because 
you  have  delivered  the  writings  into  his  hands,  be- 
hold, wicked  men  have  taken  them  from  you  ;  there- 
fore you  have  delivered  them  up,  yea,  that  which 
was  sacred,  unto  wickedness.  And  behold,  Satan 


68  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

has  put  it  into  their  hearts  to  alter  the  words  which 
you  have  caused  to  be  written,  or  which  you  have 
translated,  which  have  gone  out  of  your  hands  ;  and 
behold,  I  say  unto  you,  that  because  they  have 
altered  the  words,  they  read  contrary  from  that 
which  you  translated  and  caused  to  be  written,  and 
on  this  wise  the  devil  has  sought  to  lay  a  cunning 
plan,  that  he  may  destroy  this  work ;  for  he  has 
put  it  into  their  hearts  to  do  this,  that  by  lying 
they  may  say  they  have  caught  you  in  the  words 
which  you  have  pretended  to  translate. 

2.  Verily  I  say  unto  you  that  I  will  not  suffer 
that  Satan  shall  accomplish  his  evil   design  in  this 
thing ;  for  behold  he  has  put  it  into  their  hearts  to 
get  thee  to  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God,  in  asking  to 
translate  it  over  again ;  and  then  behold  they  say 
and  think  in  their  hearts,  we  will  see  if  God  has 
given  him  power  to  translate,  if  so  he  will  also  give 
him  power  again,  or  if  he  translate  again,  or  in 
other  words,  if  he  bringeth  forth  the  same  words, 
behold   we   have   the  same  with  us  and  we  have 
altered  them ;  therefore  they  will  not  agree,  and 
we  will  say  that  he  has  lied  in  his  words,  and  that 
he  has  no  gift,  and  that  he  has  no  power ;  there- 
fore, we  will  destroy  him,  and  also  the  work;  and 
we  will  do  this  that  we  may  not  be  ashamed  in  the 
end,  and  that  we  may  get  glory  of  the  world. 

3.  Verily,   verily,  I  say  unto    you   that    Satan 
has  got  hold  upon  their  hearts ;  he  stirreth  them 
up  to  iniquity  against  that  which  is  good,  and  their 
hearts    are    corrupt,   and    full    of  wickedness   and 
abominations,  and  they  love   darkness  rather  than 
light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil ;  therefore  they 
will  not  ask  of  me.     Satan  stirreth  them  up,  that 
he  may  lead  their  souls  to  destruction.     And  thus 
he  has  laid  a  cunning  plan,  thinking  to  destroy  the 
work  of  God,  but  I  will  require  this  at  their  hands, 
and  it  shall  turn  to  their  shame  and  condemnation 


A    TERRIBLE   DILEMMA.  69 

in  the  day  of  judgment;  yea,  he  stirreth  up  their 
hearts  to  anger  against  this  work ;  yea,  he  saith 
unto  them  deceive,  and  lie  in  wait  to  catch,  that  ye 
may  destroy ;  behold  this  is  no  harm,  and  thus  he 
flattereth  them,  and  telleth  them  that  it  is  no  sin  to 
lie,  that  they  may  catch  a  man  in  a  lie,  that  they  may 
destroy  him,  and  thus  he  flattereth  them,  and  leadeth 
them  along  until  he  draggeth  their  souls  down  to 
hell ;  and  thus  he  causeth  them  to  catch  themselves 
in  their  own  snare,  and  thus  he  goeth  up  and  down, 
to  and  fro  in  the  earth,  seeking  to  destroy  the  souls 
of  men. 

4.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  wo  be  unto 
him  that  lieth  to   deceive,  because  he   supposeth 
that  another  lieth  to  deceive,  for  such  are  not  ex- 
empt from  the  justice  of  God. 

5.  Now,  behold    they  altered  those  words  be- 
cause Satan  saith  unto  them  :  He  hath  deceived  you  ; 
and  thus  he  flattereth  them  away  to  do  iniquity,  to 
get  thee  to  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God. 

6.  Behold  I   say  unto  you  that   you  shall    not 
translate  again  those  words  which  have  gone  forth 
out  of  your  hands ;  for  behold,  they  shall  not  ac- 
complish their  evil  designs  in  lying  against  those 
words.     For,  behold,  if  you  should  bring  forth  the 
same  words  they  will  say  that  you  have  lied ;  that 
you  have  pretended  to  translate,  but  that  you  have 
contradicted  yourself;  and  behold,  they  will  pub- 
lish this,  and   Satan  will  harden  the  hearts  of  the 
people  to  stir  them  up  in  anger  against  you,  that 
they    will    not   believe   my   words.       Thus    Satan 
thinketh  to  overpower  your  testimony  in  this  gen- 
eration that  the  work  may  not  come  forth  in  this 
generation :  but,  behold  here  is  wisdom,  and  be- 
cause I  shew  unto  you  wisdom,  and  give  you  com- 
mandments concerning  these  things,  what  you  shnll 
do,  show  it  not  unto  the  world  until  you  have  ac- 
complished the  work  of  translation. 


70  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

7.  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  you,  here  is  wis- 
dom, show  it  not  unto  the  world,  for  I  said  show 
it  not  unto  the  world,  that  you  may  be  preserved. 
Behold  I  do  not  say  that  you  shall  not  show  it  unto 
the  righteous ;  but  as  you  cannot  always  judge  the 
righteous,  or  as  you  cannot  always  tell  the  wicked 
from  the  righteous,  therefore,  I  say  unto  you,  hold 
your  peace,  until  I  shall  see  fit  to  make  all  things 
known  unto  the  world  concerning  the  matter. 

8.  And   now,  verily  I  say  unto   you,  that  an 
account    of  those   things   that   you  have  written, 
which  have  gone  out  of  your  hands,  are  engraven 
upon  the  plates  of  Nephi ;   yea,  and  you  remember, 
it  was  said  in  those  writings  that  a  more  particular 
account  was  given  of  those  things  upon  the  plates 
of  Nephi. 

9.  And,  now,  because  the  account  which  is  en- 
graven upon  the  plates  of  Nephi,  is  more  particular 
concerning  these  things,   which  in  my  wisdom  I 
would  bring  to  the  knowledge  of  the  people  in  this 
account ;  therefore  you  shall  translate  the  engrav- 
ings which  {ire  on  the  plates  of  Nephi,  down  even 
until  you  come   to  the   reign  of  King  Benjamin, 
or  until  you  come  to  that  which  you  have  translated, 
which  you  have  retained  ;  and  you  shall  publish  it 
as  the  record  of  Nephi,  and  thus  I  will  confound 
those    who  hava    altered   my  words.      I  will  not 
suffer  that  they  shall  destroy  my  work ;  yea,  I  will 
show  unto  them  that  my  wisdom  is  greater  than 
the  cunning  of  the  Devil. 

10.  Behold   they  have  only  got   a  part  or  an 
abridgment   of    the   account   of    Nephi.      Behold 
there  are  many  things  engraven   on  the  plates  of 
Nephi,  which  do  throw   greater  views   upon  my 
gospel ;    therefore  it  is   wisdom  in   me,  that  you 
should  translate  this  first  part  of  the  engravings  of 
Nephi,  and  send  forth  in  this  work.     And  behold, 
nil  the  remainder  of  this  work  does  contain  all  those 


A    TERRIBLE   DILEMMA.  71 

parts  of  my  gospel  which  my  holy  prophets,  yea, 
and  also  my  disciples  desired  in  their  prayers, 
should  come  forth  unto  this  people.  And  I  said 
unto  them  that  it  should  be  granted  unto  them  ac- 
cording to  their  faith  in  their  prayers ;  yea,  and 
this  was  their  faith,  that  my  gospel  which  I  gave 
unto  them,  that  they  might  preach  in  their  days, 
might  come  unto  their  brethren,  the  Lamanites, 
and  also  all  that  had  become  Lamanites,  because  of 
their  dissentions. 

11.  Now  this    is    not  all,   their  faith    in   their 
prayers    were,    that   this   gospel    should  be  made 
known  also,  if  it  were  possible,  that  other  nations 
should  possess  this  land  :  and  thus  they  did  leave 
a  blessing   upon   this   land  in  their  prayers,  that 
whosoever  should   believe   in  this  gospel  in  this 
land  might  have  eternal  life,  yea,  that  it  might  be 
free  unto  all  of  whatsoever  nation,  kindred,  tongue 
or  people,  they  may  be. 

12.  And,  now,  behold  according  to  their  faith 
in  their  prayers,  will  I  bring  this  part  of  my  gospel 
to  the  knowledge  of  my  people.     Behold  I  do  not 
bring  it  to  destroy  that  which  they  have  received, 
but  to  build  it  up. 

13.  And  for  this  cause  have  I  said,  if  this  gen- 
eration harden  not  their  hearts,  I  will  establish  my 
church  among  them.     Now  I  do  not  say  this  to 
destroy  my  church ;  but  I  say  this  to  build  up  my 
church ;    therefore,   whosoever    belongeth   to    my 
church  need  not  fear,   for  such  shall  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  but  it  is  they  who  do  not  fear 
me,  neither  keep  my  commandments,  but  buildeth 
up  churches  unto  themselves  to  get  gain,  yea,  and 
all   those  that  do  wickedly,  and  buildeth  up  the 
kingdom  of  the  Devil;  yea,  verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  that  it  is  they  that  I  will  disturb,  and 
cause  to  tremble  and  shake  to  the  centre. 

14.  Behold,  I  am  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of  God. 


72  TIfE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

I  came  unto  my  own,  and  my  own  received  me  not. 
I  am  the  light  which  shineth  in  darkness,  and  the 
darkness  comprehendeth  it  not.  I  am  he  who  said 
other  sheep  have  I  which  are  not  of  this  fold,  unto 
my  disciples,  and  many  there  were  that  understood 
me  not. 

15.  And  I  will  show   unto   this   people  that  I 
had   other  sheep,  and  that   they  were  a  branch  of 
the   house    of  Jacob  :     and    I   will  bring  to  light 
their   marvellous    works,   which    they  did    in    my 
name  :  yea,  and  I  wrill  also   bring  to  light  my  gos- 
pel, which  was  ministered   unto   them,  and  behold 
they  shall  not  deny  that  which  you  have  received, 
but  they  shall  build  it  up,  and  shall  bring  to  light 
the  true  points  of  my  doctrine,   yea,  and  the  only 
doctrine  which  is  in  me  ;  and  this  I  do  that  I  may 
establish  my  gospel,  that  there  may  not  be  so  much 
contention ;  yea,  Satan  doth  stir  up  the  hearts  of 
the  people  to  contention,  concerning  the  points  of 
my  doctrine  :  and  in  these  things  they  do  err,  for 
they  do  wrest  the   Scriptures,  and  do  not  under- 
stand them  :  therefore,  I  will  unfold  unto  them  this 
great  mystery,  for  behold  I  will  gather  them  as   a 
hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  if  they 
will  not  harden  their  hearts  ;  yea,  if  they  will  come, 
they  may,  and  partake  of  the  waters  of  life  freely. 

16.  Behold,    this   is    my  doctrine :    whosoever 
repenteth  and  cometh  unto  me,  the  same  is  my 
church,  whosoever  declareth  more  or  less  than  this, 
the  same  is  not  of  me,  but  is  against  me  :  therefore 
he  is  not  of  my  church. 

17.  And     now,    behold,    whosoever   is  of   my 
church,  and  endureth  of  my  church  to  the  end,  him 
will  I  establish  upon  my  Eock,  and  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  them. 

18.  And  now,  remember  the  words  of  him  who 
is  the  life  and  the  light  of  the  world,    your  Ee- 
decmer,  your  Lord,  and  your  God.     Amen. 


A     TERRIBLE   DILEMMA.  73 

And  these  two  long  harangues,  abounding  in 
absurdities,  blasphemy,  misquoted  Scripture,  and 
bad  grammar,  are  given  forth  as  communications 
from  the  Almighty  !  On  what  pretense  and  for 
what  purpose?  This  pretender  to  a  divine  mission 
had  produced  one  hundred  and  sixteen  pages  of 
what  he  claimed  to  be  a  translation  from  gold 
plates  revealed  to  him  by  an  angel  from  heaven  ; 
these  pages  had  been  entrusted  to  Martin  Harris 
and  lost,  causing  a  very  serious  dilemma,  as  he 
had  sense  enough  to  perceive  that  he  could  not  by 
"translation"  or  otherwise,  reproduce  them.  So 
these  "  revelations"  were  resorted  to  as  a  remedy 
for  the  difficulty. 

The  real  facts  were  these  :  Mr.  Harris  had,  in 
good  faith  and  honesty  of  purpose,  carried  the 
manuscript  home  to  exhibit  to  his  wife  and  four 
friends,  in  accordance  with  his  "solemn  covenant"  ; 
but  his  more  sensible  spouse,  not  being  a  believer 
in  such  blasphemies,  and  foreseeing  only  trouble 
and  ruin  to  her  husband,  abstracted  it  in  his  sleep, 
and  committed  it  to  the  flames.  For  years  she 
kept  the  fact  a  profound  secret,  even  until  after 
the  book  was  published.  But  this  active  hostility 
on  her  part,  finally  produced  a  feud  in  the  family 
\vliich  resulted  in  separation. — Pomeroy's  History. 

This  last  "  revelation,"  after  ten  months'  labor, 
is  produced,  informing  the  prophet  "  of  the  altera- 


74  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

tion  of  the  manuscript  of  the  fore  part  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon  "  and  yet  no  alterations  had  been  made. 
Neither  the  prophet  Smith,  the  heavenly  messenger, 
nor  even  the  Lord  (according  to  the  story) ,  knew 
what  had  become  of  the  lost  pages  ;  but  were  falsely 
accusing  innocent  persons  of  altering  and  pervert- 
ing them  at  Satan's  instigation.  And  not  only  that, 
the  whole  three  are  written  down  as  dishonest — the 
Lord  in  instigating  a  dishonest  transaction,  and 
the  others  as  participators  in  carrying  it  out ;  using 
the  Devil's  own  weapons  to  counteract  the  designs 
of  his  emissaries. 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  more  senseless 
piece  of  folly ;  and  yet  it  is  given  forth  in  all 
solemnity,  as  a  cute  scheme  of  the  Lord  to  circum- 
vent the  cunning  of  the  Devil  and  his  abettors. 
And  yet  those  two  "  revelations  "  are  printed  in  all 
editions  of  the  Doctrines  and  Covenants,  and  care- 
fully read  and  quoted  by  thousands  of  Mormon  ad- 
herents ! 


STORY    AXJ)    BOOK    EXAMINE!}.  75 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE    STORY   AND    THE    BOOK   EXAMINED. 

EVIDENCES  OF  FALSITY — THE  RECORD — ITS  TITLE — "  COX- 
FOUNDING  OF  LANGUAGE"  —  THE  NEPHITE-LAMANITE 
AMERICANS — METAL  OF  THE  PLATES — PLATES  REMAINING 
BURIED — A  BONANZA — MARINER'S  COMPASS — To  WORK 
BY  FAITH. 

T\"E  have  now  followed  this  story  as  told  by  its 
author,  from  its  inception  down  to  the  period  of  its 
development  into  a  systematic  and  wicked  scheme 
of  imposture.  On  it  the  whole  structure  of  Mor- 
monism  is  built.  It  is  the  ground- work  of  a  delu- 
sion, which,  for  fifty  years,  has  been  spreading 
over  the  United  States  and  making  proselytes  in 
Europe  and  Asia,  and  in  the  islands  of  the  sea. 

It  contains  within  itself  many  evidences  of  its 
falsity,  which,  when  properly  weighed  and  consid- 
ered, must  cause  it  to  be  rejected  by  every  intelli- 
o-ent  and  well-balanced  mind.  And  when  viewed 

o 

in  connection  with  surrounding  circumstances,  and 
with  the  well-known  characters  and  lives  of  its 
author  and  chief  abettors,  it  becomes  simply  as- 
tounding that  any  human  being,  in  the  wide  range 
of  humanity,  can  be  found  so  credulous  as  to  be- 
lieve it.  The  fact  that  hundreds  and  thousands  do 


76  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALM  YEA. 

accept  it,  and  build  their  hopes  of  salvation  upon 
it,  without  so  much  as  a  decent  inquiry  into  its 
truth,  is  a  mournful  one,  in  any  fair  estimate  we 
may  make  of  human  intelligence.  And  now  let  us 
examine  it  somewhat  in  detail. 

This  investigation  naturally  divides  itself  into 
three  branches,  as  embraced  in  the  following  propo- 
sitions : 

1.  The  Importance  of  the  Message  to  the  World. 

2.  The  Manner  of  its  Communication. 

3 .  The  Character  and  Qualifications  of  the  Agent 
employed. 

In  considering  the  question  of  the  importance  of 
the  message  to  the  world,  we  must  first  discover 
what  it  purports  to  be.  The  reader  will  bear  in  mind 
that  the  golden  plates  of  the  story  so  miraculously 
obtained,  were  translated  by  Joseph  Smith,  Jun- 
ior,* through  the  medium  of  the  Urim  and  Thuni- 
mim,  into  a  book,  which  is  designated  as  "'The 
Book  of  Mormon" .  The  folio  wing  is  its  title  entire  : 

< «  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON  :  AN  ACCOUNT  WRITTEN 
BY  THE  HAND  OF  MORMON,  UPON  PLATES 
TAKEN  FROM  THE  PLATES  OF  NEPHI. 

' '  Wherefore  it  is  an  abridgment  of  the  Record 
of  the  People  of  Nephi ;  and  also  of  the  Lamanites  ; 
written  to  the  Lamanites,  which  are  a  remnant  of 
the  House  of  Israel ;  and  also  Jew  and  Gentile ; 

*  The  father  being  also  named  Joseph,  the  young  prophet 
was  always  particular  to  have  the  ' '  Junior "  designation  ap- 
pended to  his  name. 


STOJtY    AND    BOOK    EXAMINED.  77 

written  by  way  of  commandment,  and  also  by  the 
spirit  of  Prophecy  and  of  Revelation.  Written  and 
sealed  up,  and  hid  up  unto  the  LORD,  that  they 
might  not  be  destroyed  ;  to  come  forth  by  the  gift 
and  power  of  GOD,  unto  the  interpretation  thereof; 
sealed  by  the  hand  of  Moroni,  and  hid  up  unto  the 
LORD  ;  to  come  forth  in  due  time  by  the  way  of 
Gentile  ;  the  interpretation  thereof  by  the  gift  of 
GOD  ;  an  abridgment  taken  from  the  Bool:  of 
Ether. 

"Also,  which  is  a  Record  of  the  People  of  Jared, 
which  were  scattered  at  the  time  the  LORD  con- 
founded the  language  of  the  people  when  they  were 
building  a  tower  to  get  to  Heaven  ;  which  is  to  shew 
unto  the  remnant  of  the  House  of  Israel  how  great 
things  the  LORD  hath  done  for  their  fathers ;  and 
that  they  may  know  the  covenants  of  the  Lord, 
that  they  are  not  cast  off  forever ;  and  also  to  the 
convincing  of  the  Jew  and  Gentile  that  JESUS  is  the 
CHRIST,  the  ETERNAL  GOD,  manifesting  himself  unto 
all  Xations.  And  now  if  there  be  fault,  it  be  the 
mistake  of  men  ;  wherefore  condemn  not  the  things 
of  GOD,  that  ye  may  be  found  spotless  at  the  judg- 
ment seat  of  CHRIST. 

"  By  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Junior, 
"Author  and  Proprietor." 

Title,  preface,  and  admonition,  all  in  one. 

The  foregoing  is  a  verbatim  copy  from  the  first 
edition,  printed  in  1829-30,  by  E.  B.  Grandin,  as 
the  title  page  indicates,  "  for  the  author."  On  the 
succeeding  page  is  the  usual  copyright  certificate 
of  "  R.  R.  LANSING,  Clerk  of  the  Northern  District 
of  Xew  York,"  certifying  that,  "  on  the  llth  day 
of  June,  A.D.  1829,"  Joseph  Smith,  Junior, 


78  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

deposit  the  title  of  a  book,  "  the  right  whereof  he 
claims  as  author ,"  and  reciting  the  title  page  as 
above.  In  subsequent  editions  the  obvious  ab- 
surdity of  claiming  to  be  the  author  of  a  work  sent 
from  Heaven,  seems  to  have  been  discovered,  and 
the  signature  of  *4  Moroni,"  the  angel,  takes  the 
place  of  ' '  Joseph  Smith  "  ;  but  whether  the  sub- 
stitution mends  the  matter  we  will  not  attempt  to 
decide.  It  makes  the  angel  an  applicant  for  copy- 
right in  a  book,  which,  according  to  his  own  state- 
ment, was  only  partly  his  own.  Still  later  editions 
— especially  those  issued  at  Piano,  Illinois,  for  the 
"  Reconstructed  "  branch  of  the  church — make  still 
further  changes,  and  slightly  "  reconstruct "  its 
phraseology. 

The  design  and  purpose  of  the  work,  however, 
will  be  hard  to  discover  from  the  ' *  confounding  of 
language  "  in  its  title.  But,  on  examination,  we 
find  it  to  be  a  pretended  history  of  the  early  inhab- 
itants of  the  American  Continent ;  that  they  are 
represented  to  have  been  the  descendants  of  some 
of  the  people  who  were  dispersed  at  the  Tower  of 
Babel,  and  also  of  some  of  the  tribes  of  Israel,  who 
left  Jerusalem  during  the  reign  of  King  Zedekiah ; 
that  one  portion  managed  to  reach  these  shores  in 
"  eight  barges,"  "  as  tight  as  a  dish  and  as  long  as 
a  tree " ;  that  their  principal  business  here  was 
preaching  and  fighting,  and  writing  records ;  and 


STOHY    AND    BOOK    EXAMINED.  79 

that  after  multifarious  and  terrible  wars,  they  be- 
came, like  the  Kilkenny  cats,  sadly  used  up,  and 
that  the  Indian  tribes,  termed  "  Lamanites,"  are 
the  tails  that  were  left. 

This,  in  short,  is  the  Message  from  Heaven,  the 
"  fulness  of  the  gospel,"  the  "  preparatory  work," 
that  is  to  usher  in  "  the  millennial  reign  "  !  This  is 
the  story,  of  which  Orson  Pratt,  one  of  the  ablest 
of  Mormon  writers,  says  : 

' '  The  nature  of  the  message  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  is  such  that,  if  true,  none  can  be  saved  and 
reject  it ;  and  if  false,  none  can  be  save  who  re- 
ceive it. 

Had  the  general  historical  idea  been  dressed  in 
good  English  by  one  possessed  of  a  well-balanced 
mind,  instead  of  one  who  had 

"  eaten  of  the  insane  root 
That  takes  the  reason  prisoner," 

it  might  have  made  a  volume  of  pleasant  reading, 
if  nothing  more ;  and  had  there  been  any  facts 
known  to  the  author  to  give  it  color,  it  might  even 
have  approached  the  dignity  of  a  historical  ro- 
mance. 

These  pretended  records  are  claimed  to  have  been 
handsomely  engraved  on  metal  plates,  by  a  suc- 
cession of  prophets  or  holy  men,  belonging  to 
these  descendants  of  the  Jews  here  in  America,  at 
various  periods  of  their  history,  from  Nephi,  in  the 
reign  of  Zedekiah,  down  to  Moroni,  the  last  his- 


80  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALM  YE  A. 

torian  among  them,  in  about  the  fifth  century  of 
the  Christian  era.  The  plates  were  of  various 
metals,  manufactured  by  the  writers,  sometimes  of 
gold,  sometimes  of  brass,  and  at  others  of  a  metal 
not  mentioned,  but  of  ores  obtained  from  the  mines. 
The  brass  mines  of  America  are  not  now  known. 

Mormon  and  Moroni  made  abridgments  of  all 
these  records  on  plates  of  gold,  and  buried  them  in 
the  hill  Cumorah,  which  stands  near  Palmyra,  in 
the  State  of  New  York.  There  they  had  lain,  in  a 
stone  box  held  together  by  "  some  kind  of  cement," 
for  thirteen  centuries,  awaiting  the  advent  of  some 
suitable  person  to  translate  them,  and  give  them  to 
the  world  for  its  redemption.  And  that  classical 
and  consecrated  mount  is  now  known  as  i  i  Mormon 
Hill."  Why  do  not  these  people  erect  a  monument, 
or  build  one  of  their  many  temples  there  ? 

Mormon  and  Moroni's  plates — abridgments  only 
of  the  great  encyclopedia  of  American  history — 
were  of  the  precious  metal,  and  they  were  the  only 
ones  revealed.  The  others  are  presumed  to  be — 
if  we  put  faith  in  the  story — if  not  in  the  hill 
Cumorah,  certainly  in  some  "  placer  "  in  the 
vicinity ;  and  the  wonder  is  that  the  faithful  have 
not  been  "  prospecting  "  for  them.  Should  these, 
or  a  considerable  portion  of  them,  also  be  of  gold, 
their  value  is  great ;  as  there  should  be  more  than 
,i  dozen  of  those  bundles  of  plates,  besides  some  other 


STORY   AND    BOOK   EXAMINED.  81 

valuables,  "  hid  up"  somewhere  about  Palmyra. 
Those  alone  obtained  from  the  stone  box,  and  hid- 
den away  again,  as  described,  would  make  a  solid 
block  of  gold  of  two  hundred  cubic  inches,  worth 
many  thousand  dollars  for  the  metal  alone.  The 
wonder  is,  that  while  excavating  for  the  treasure 
hid  by  Kidd  and  the  pirates,  the  youthful  prophet 
did  not  bring  to  light  more  of  these  precious  relics 
of  antiquity.  As  evidence  of  faith  in  the  story, 
* 'Mormon  Hill  "  should  have  been  thoroughly  pros- 
pected long  ago. 

The  nomenclature  of  the  volume  is  unique,  if  not 
classical,  or  beautiful,  as  witness  such  names  as 
Riplakish,  Shiz,  Shule,  Kib,  Com,  Coriantumr, 
Gadianton,  Zarahemla,  Mulek,  Giddianhi,  Gidgid- 
doni,  Zemnarihah,  Cezoram,  beside  many  others 
equally  euphonious.  According  to  the  Boole  of 
Mormon,  Black  Hawk,  our  Indian  chief,  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Lamanites ;  hence,  probably,  his 
name ,  Ma-ka-ta  i-me-she-Jcia-Jciah . 

"  Lo,  and  behold,"  and  "  And  it  came  to  pass," 
are  repeated  hundreds  of  times  in  the  volume,  sup- 
posably  to  give  the  narrative  greater  solemnity. 
Whole  chapters  are  given  bodily  and  verbatim  from 
the  writings  of  the  prophets,  in  the  commonly  used 
King  James  version  of  the  Scriptures,  but  profess- 
edly written  by  these  Jewish- American  prophets, 
and  translated  from  the  "  .Reformed  Egyptian,"  by 


82  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

Joseph  Smith.  Strange,  indeed,  that  this  Urim 
and  Thummim  translation  should  so  closely  follow 
the  renderings  of  the  scholars  of  King  James's  day. 
The  term  "  Bible  "  is  put  into  the  mouth  of  one  of 
these  prophets  to  designate  the  sacred  writings, 
hundreds  of  years  before  they  were  collected  and 
known  by  that  name. 

The  mariner's  compass,  this  story  gives  us  to 
know,  was  in  use  in  the  days  of  Zedekiah  ;  though 
it  is  inferred  that  the  one  used  by  Lehi  was  the 
first  one,  and  that  Nephi,  the  historian,  was  the  in- 
ventor of  it — certainly  of  this  one.*  It  was  pre- 
pared for  the  occasion,  as  the  party  was  about  to 
start  on  a  journey  into  the  wilderness  : 

44  And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
spake  unto  my  father,  by  night,  and  commanded 
him,  that  on  the  morrow  he  should  take  his  journey 
into  the  wilderness.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  as 
my  father  arose  in  the  morning,  and  went  forth  to 
the  tent  door,  to  his  great  astonishment  he  beheld 
upon  the  ground  a  round  ball,  of  curious  workman- 
ship, and  it  was  of  fine  brass.  And  within  the  ball 
were  two  spindles ;  and  the  one  pointed  the  way 
whither  we  should  go  into  the  wilderness  (!)... 
And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  voice  of  the  Lord  said 
unto  him,  Look  upon  the  ball  and  behold  the  things 
that  are  written.  .  .  .  And  it  came  to  pass  that 
I,  Nephi,  beheld  the  pointers  which  were  in  the 
ball,  and  they  did  ivork  according  to  the  faith  and 
diligence  and  heed  which  we  did  give  unto  them.  (  \  ) 

*  This  we  find  on  further  reading  to  be  a  mistake.  The 
name  of  it  was  "  Liahona  — which  is,  being  interpreted,  a  com- 
pass ;  and  the  Lord  prepared  it." 


STORY   AND    BOOK   EXAMINED.  83 

And  there  was  also  written  upon  them  a  new 
writing,  which  was  plain  to  be  read,  which  did  give 
us  understanding  concerning  the  ways  of  the  Lord  ; 
and  it  was  written  and  changed  from  time  to  time, 
according  to  the  diligence  and  faith  which  we  gave 
unto  it.  And  thus  we  see  that  by  small  means  the 
Lord  can  bring  about  great  things." — Book  of 
Mormon,  1st  edition,  pp.  39—41. 

Truly  a  wonderful  and  accommodating  compass  ! 
Working  on  principles  peculiarly  its  own,  one  of 
its  spindles  pointed  the  way  for  them  to  go,  and 
both  spindles  worked  according  to  the  faith  and 
diligence  and  heed  given  them  by  its  users.  And 
afterwards,  when  they  had  built  a  ship,  and  gone  out 
upon  the  briny  and  tempestuous  ocean,  and  the  tem- 
pests came  and  the  waves  ran  high,  and  they  were 
sorely  troubled,  "  behold,  I  took  the  compass,  and  it 
did  work  whither  I  desired  it"  Such  a  compass  as 
this  which  the  Lord  vouchsafed  to  Nephi,  would  be 
invaluable  now  in  the  hands  of  the  searchers  for  the 
North  Pole.  With  it  in  skilful  hands,  and  the 
needed  diligence  and  faith,  they  could  walk  right 
up  to  the  Pole,  and  plant  the  stars  and  stripes, 
without  further  search.  And  great  is  the  pity  that 
the  British  government  could  not  have  supplied 
such  a  valuable  instrument  to  Sir  John  Franklin, 
when  he  undertook  his  disastrous  voyage ;  and  it 
would  have  been  so  serviceable,  too,  on  board  the 
many  vessels  that  were  sent  out  to  find  him.  In- 
stead of  wandering  all  over  the  ice-covered  seas  in 


84:  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYHA. 

their  search,  it  could  have  led  them  right  up  to 
where  he  and  his  famishing  crew  were  perishing. 
Oh,  why  did  not  these  ancient  people  think  to  place 
that  invaluable  compass  in  the  stone  box  with  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  and  Laban's  sword?  or,  if 
there,  why  was  it  not  delivered  to  Joseph  by  the 
messenger?  Let  us  hope  that  it  may  yet  be  found 
somewhere  about  Cumorah  hill. 


EXAMINATION    CONTINUED.  85 


CHAPTER    IX. 

EXAMINATION    CONTINUED. 

A  STORY  FOR  SHIP-BUILDERS — A  YEAR'S  VOYAGE — EIGHT 
WONDERFUL  BARGES— AN  ELECTRIC  LIGHT — THE  LAND 
OF  PROMISE— WAR  A  PASTIME — A  GREAT  BATTLE — WORDS 
OF  ISAIAH — BEASTS  IN  THE  PROMISED  LAND — REMARKA- 
BLE TRANSLATION. 

IT  is  Ether,  the  historian  of  the  Jaredites,  who 
informs  us  how  the  Jared  family,  after  escaping 
from  the  « '  confounding  of  language  "  at  the  Tower 
of  Babel,  finally  reached  these  shores.  It  was  a 
remarkable  voyage.  Navigators,  and,  indeed,  all 
who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  will  be  interested 
in  it,  and  may  gain  from  it  some  valuable  knowl- 
edge pertaining  to  their  perilous  calling.  It  is 
lengthy,  and  we  omit  the  unimportant  portions, 
retaining  the  main  facts.  Jared  and  his  brethren 
had  reached  the  sea,  "  and  they  called  the  name  of 
the  place  Moriancumer,"  and  there  they  dwelt  in 
their  tents  for  the  space  of  four  years.  But  this 
was  not  to  be  their  abiding  place.  Turn  to  page 
542  of  the  first  edition  and  read  the  wonderful 
story : 

"  And  the  Lord  said,  Go  to  work  and  build,  after 
the  manner  of  barges  which  ye  have  hitherto  built. 


86  THE    PliOPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  brother  of  Jared  did 
go  to  work,  and  also  his  brethren,  and  built  barges 
after  the  manner  which  they  had  built,  according 
to  the  instructions  of  the  Lord.  And  they  were 
small,  and  they  were  light  upon  the  water,  even 
like  unto  the  lightness  of  a  fowl  upon  the  water ; 
and  they  were  built  after  a  manner  that  they  were 
exceeding  tight,  even  that  they  would  hold  water 
like  unto  a  dish  ;  and  the  bottom  thereof  was  tight 
like  unto  a  dish  ;  and  the  sides  thereof  was  tight  like 
unto  a  dish ;  and  the  length  thereof  was  the  length 
of  a  tree  ;  and  the  door  thereof,  when  it  was  shut, 
Vvas  tight  like  unto  a  dish.  And  it  came  to  pass 
that  the  brother  of  Jared  cried  unto  the  Lord,  say- 
ing:  O,  Lord,  I  have  performed  the  work  which 
thou  hast  commanded  me,  and  I  have  made  the 
barges  according  as  thou  hast  directed  me.  And 
behold,  O  Lord,  in  them  there  is  no  light,  whither 
shall  we  steer. — And  also  we  shall  perish,  for 
in  them  we  cannot  breathe,  save  it  is  the  air 
which  is  in  them ;  therefore,  we  shall  perish.  And 
the  Lord  said  unto  the  brother  of  Jared,  Behold, 
thou  shalt  make  a  hole  in  the  top  thereof,  and  also 
in  the  bottom  thereof;  and  when  thou  shalt  suffer 
for  air,  thou  shalt  unstop  the  hole  thereof,  and  re- 
ceive air.  And  if  it  so  be  that  the  water  come  in 
upon  thee,  behold,  ye  shall  stop  the  hole  thereof, 
that  ye  may  not  perish  in  the  flood.  And  it  came 
to  pass  that  the  brother  of  Jared  did  so,  according 
as  the  Lord  had  commanded.  And  he  cried  again 
unto  the  Lord,  saying,  O  Lord,  behold  I  have  done 
as  thou  hast  commanded  me ;  and  I  have  prepared 
the  vessels  for  my  people,  and  behold,  there  is  no 
light  in  them.  Behold,  O  Lord,  wilt  thou  suffer 
that  we  shall  cross  this  great  water  in  darkness  ? 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  the  brother  of  Jared,  What 
will  ye  that  I  should  do  that  ye  may  have  light  in 
your  vessels?  For  behold,  ye  cannot  have  windows, 


EXAMINATION    CONTINUED.  87 

for  they  will  be  dashed  in  pieces ;  neither  shall  ye 
take  fire  with  you,  for  ye  shall  not  go  by  the  light 
of  fire  ;  for  behold,  ye  shall  be  as  a  whale  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea  ;  for  the  mountain  waves  shall  dash 
upon  you.  Nevertheless,  I  will  bring  you  up  again 
out  of  the  depths  of  the  sea  ;  for  the  winds  have  gone 
forth  out  of  my  mouth,  and  also  the  rains  and  the 
floods  have  I  sent  forth.  And  behold,  I  prepare 
you  against  these  things :  for  howbeit,  ye  can- 
not cross  this  great  deep,  save  I  prepare  ye 
against  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  the  winds  which 
have  gone  forth,  and  the  floods  which  shall  come. 
Therefore,  what  will  ye  that  I  should  prepare  for 
you,  that  ye  may  have  light,  when  ye  are  swallowed 
up  in  the  depths  of  the  sea  ? 

"And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  brother  of  Jared, 
(now  the  number  of  the  vessels  which  had  been 
prepared  was  eight,)  went  forth  unto  the  mount, 
which  they  called  the  mount  She  Jem,  because  of  its 
exceeding  height,  and  did  moulten  out  of  a  rock 
sixteen  small  stones  ;  and  they  were  white  and  clear, 
even  as  transparent  glass ;  and  he  did  carry  them 
in  his  hands  upon  top  of  the  mount,  and  cried  again 
unto  the  Lord,  saying,  O  Lord,  thou  hast  said  that 
we  must  be  encompassed  about  by  the  floods  ;  .  .  . 
but  behold  these  things  which  I  have  moulten  out 
of  the  rock.  And  I  know,  O  Lord,  that  thou  hast 
all  power,  and  can  do  whatsoever  thou  wilt  for  the 
benefit  of  man ;  therefore  touch  these  stones,  O 
Lord,  with  thy  finger,  and  prepare  them  that  they 
may  shine  forth  in  darkness  ;  and  they  shall  shine 
forth  unto  us  in  the  vessels  which  we  have  prepared, 
that  we  may  have  light  while  we  shall  cross  the  sea. 
Behold,  O  Lord,  thou  canst  do  this.  We  know 
that  thou  art  able  to  shew  forth  great  power,  which 
looks  small  unto  the  understanding  of  men.  And 
it  came  to  pass  that  when  the  brother  of  Jared  had 
said  these  words,  behold,  the  Lord  stretched  forth 


88  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

his  hand  and  touched  the  stones,  one  by  one,  with 
his  finger  ;  and  the  veil  was  taken  off  the  eyes  of  the 
brother  of  Jared,  and  he  saw  the  finger  of  the 
Lord ; 

"  For  it  came  to  pass  after  that  the  Lord  had  pre- 
pared the  stones  which  the  brother  of  Jared  had 
carried  up  into  the  mount,  the  brother  of  Jared 
came  down  out  of  the  mount,  and  he  did  put  forth 
the  stones  into  the  vessels  which  were  prepared, 
one  in  each  end  thereof;  and  behold,  they  did  give 
light  unto  the  vessels  thereof.  And  thus  the  Lord 
caused  the  stones  to  shine  in  darkness,  to  give  light 
unto  men,  women  and  children,  that  they  might 
not  cross  the  great  waters  in  darkness. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  that  when  they  had  prepared 
all  manner  of  food,  that  thereby  they  might  subsist 
upon  the  water,  and  also  food  for  their  flocks  and 
herds,  and  whatsoever  beast,  or  animal,  or  fowl, 
that  they  should  carry  with  them  :  And  it  came  to 
pass  that  when  they  had  dono  all  these  things,  they 
got  aboard  their  vessels  or  barges,  and  set  forth 
into  the  sea,  commending  themselves  unto  the  Lord 
their  God.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  Lord 
caused  that  there  should  a  furious  wind  blow  upon 
the  face  of  the  waters,  towards  the  promised  land  ; 
and  thus  they  were  tossed  upon  the  waves  of  the 
sea  before  the  wind.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  they 
were  many  times  buried  in  the  depths  of  the  sea, 
because  of  the  mountain  waves  which  broke  upon 
them,  and  also  the  great  and  terrible  tempests  which 
were  caused  by  the  fierceness  of  the  wind  : 

"And  it  came  to  pass  that  when  they  were  buried 
in  the  deep,  there  was  no  water  that  could  hurt 
them,  their  vessels  being  tight  like  unto  a  dish^,  and 
also  they  were  tight  like  unto  the  ark  of  Noah ; 
therefore,  when  they  were  encompassed  about  by 
many  waters,  they  did  cry  unto  the  Lord,  and  He 
did  bring  them  forth  again  upon  the  top  of  the 


EXAMINATION    CONTINUED.  83 

waters.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  wind  did 
never  cease  to  blow  towards  the  promised  land, 
while  they  were  upon  the  waters  :  and  thus  they 
were  driven  forth  before  the  wind ;  and  they  did 
sing  praises  unto  the  Lord ;  yea,  the  brother  of 
Jared  did  sing  praises  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  did 
thank  and  praise  the  Lord  all  the  day  long ;  and 
when  the  night  came,  they  did  not  cease  to  praise 
the  Lord.  And  thus  they  were  driven  forth  ;  and 
no  monster  of  the  sea  could  break  them,  neither 
whale  that  could  mar  them  ;  and  they  did  have 
light  continually,  whether  it  was  above  the  water 
or  under  the  water.  And  thus  they  were  driven 
forth,  three  hundred  and  forty  and  four  days  upon 
the  water,  and  they  did  land  upon  the  shore  of  the 
promised  land." 

The-  historian  has  not  informed  us  how  many 
persons  composed  the  company  in  this  remarkable 
voyage.  There  must  have  been  several,  though, 
to  properly  man  each  of  the  vessels.  And  let  us 
pause  to  contemplate  these  eight  wonderfully  con- 
structed barges,  on  their  adventurous  voyages.  All 
built  alike — light  like  a  fowl,  long  as  a  tree,  tight 
like  a  dish ;  all  provided  with  holes  in  bottom  and 
top,  and  lighted  with  those  transparent  stones  which 
the  sagacious  brother  of  Jared  ' '  did  moulten  "  out 
of  a  rock.  All  laden,  too,  with  "  whatsoever  beast, 
or  animal,  or  fowl,  that  they  should  carry  with 
them,"  and  with  "  all  manner  of  food"  necessary 
for  a  year's  voyage.  They  start  together  before  a 
furious  wind,  and  after  nearly  a  year,  land  together 
without  so  much  as  one  being  lost.  Xo  monster  of  the 


90  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

deep  hurt  them ;  no  whale  marred  them  !  Some- 
times riding  on  top  of  the  waves,  sometimes  en- 
gulfed beneath  them,  the  ever-watchful  brother  of' 
«  Jared  is  ready  in  one  barge,  plug  in  hand,  to  stop 
and  unstop  the  holes,  as  occasion  may  require,  to 
shut  out  the  water,  or  to  give  his  crew  and  passen- 
gers another  sniff  of  air.  Who  performed  that  im- 
portant service  in  the  remaining  seven  barges  is  not 
stated. 

These  vessels,  it  will  be  observed,  were  provided 
with  no  propelling  power,  no  steering  apparatus, 
no  compass.  The  instrument  used  by  Nephi  and 
his  father,  centuries  after,  had  not  yet  been  invented. 
But  they  did  not  need  any  of  these  things,  for  a 
furious  wind  blew  steadily  for  the  space  of  a  year 
directly  toward  the  promised  land  ! 

And  now  that  these  refugees  from  the  Tower  are 
safely  landed  on  these  shores,  let  us  turn  to  page 
572  of  the  same  book,  and  learn  of  some  of  the  deeds 
of  their  descendants  here.  War  seems  to  have 
been  the  main  business  and  pastime  of  these  people 
through  all  the  long  centuries  of  their  existence  in 
their  western  home.  And  when  they  did  fight,  they 
fought  to  kill.  Here  is  an  account  of  one  of  the 
greatest  battles  ever  fought  since  the  world  begun, 
certainly  the  most  sanguinary  ever  fought  on  this 
continent.  Talk  of  the  wars  of  Napoleon,  of  the 
Caesars,  of  Alexander;  talk  of  the  battle  of  Water' 


EXAMINATION    CONTINUED.  91 

loo,  of  Olmutz,  of  Sevastopol — they  dwindle  into 
insignificance  when  contrasted  with  the  struggle 
between  the  tw^o  great  heroes,  Shiz  and  Coriantumr. 
They  had  already  fought  till  Coriantunir  computed  a 
loss  of  "  two  millions  of  mighty  men,  and  also  their 
wives  and  children."  If  Shiz  had  lost  as  many,  the 
total  number  would  not  fall  short  of  fifteen  to 
twenty  millions  of  souls.  So  they  had  now  become 
highly  incensed  and  prepared  to  go  at  it  in  earnest  : 

<  *  It  came  to  pass  that  Ether  did  behold  all  the 
doings  of  the  people  ;  and  he  beheld  that  the  people 
which  were  for  Coriantunir  were  gathered  together 
to  the  army  ot  Coriantunir,  and  the  people  which 
were  for  Shiz  were  gathered  together  to  the  army 
of  Shiz  ;  wherefore,  they  were  for  the  space  of  four 
years  gathering  together  the  people,  that  they 
might  get  all  which  were  upon  the  face  of  the  land, 
and  that  they  might  receive  all  the  strength  which 
it  were  possible  that  they  could  receive.  And  it 
came  to  pass  that  when  they  were  all  gathered  to- 
gether, every  one  to  the  army  which  he  would, 
with  their  wives  and  their  children ;  both  men, 
women,  and  children  being  armed  with  weapons  of 
war,  having  shields,  and  breast-plates,  and  head- 
plates,  and  being  clothed  after  the  manner  of  war, 
they  did  march  forth ,  one  against  another,  to  bat- 
tle ;  and  they  fought  all  that  day,  and  conquered 
not." 

Men,  women,  and  children,  all  armed  and  pan- 
oplied, going  forth  to  battle  !  And  it  proved  to 
be  a  nine  days'  fight ;  for  "  on  the  morrow  "  they 
went  at  it  again,  and  the  next,  and  the  next,  to  the 
sixth  day,  when,  a  count  being  made,  it  was  found 


92  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

"  they  had  all  fallen  by  the  sword,  save  it  were 
fifty  and  two  of  the  people  of  Coriantumr,  and  sixty 
and  nine  of  the  people  of  Shiz."  Then  another 
day's  fight  and  another  count.  At  the  end  of  this 
day  Shiz  had  thirty-two  left  and  Coriantumr 
twenty-seven.  The  following  day  it  was  fight  and 
flight ;  but  "on  the  morrow,"  which  was  the  ninth, 
after  a  fierce  and  day-long  struggle,  only  the  two 
gritty  commanders  were  left  to  face  each  other. 
And  they  were  about  as  good  as  dead,  for  Shiz 
fainted  with  the  loss  of  blood,  and  Coriantumr  was 
greatly  exhausted.  Savage  fellows  !  they  should 
now  have  shaken  hands,  and  given  up  the  contest ; 
but  no,  for 

' '  It  came  to  pass  that  when  Coriantumr  had 
leaned  upon  his  sword,  that  he  rested  a  little,  he 
smote  off  the  head  of  Shiz.  And  it  came  to  pass 
that  after  he  had  smote  off  the  head  of  Shiz,  that 
Shiz  raised  upon  his  hands  and  fell ;  and  after  that 
he  had  struggled  for  breath,  he  died.  And  it  came 
to  pass  that  Coriantumr  fell  to  the  earth,  and  be- 
came as  if  he  had  no  life." 

And  Ether  finished  his  record,  and  hid  it  in  a 
way  that  the  < «  people  of  Limhi  did  find  it ;  and  it 
was  buried  again,  and  Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  dug 
it  up,  and  with  it  enlightened  and  saved  the 
world"! 

Going  back  to  Lehi  and  Nephi  again :  after 
they  had  ended  the  voyage  in  which  the  compass 


EXAMINATION    CONTINUED.  93 

had  rendered  them  such  valuable  service,  and 
brought  them  to  this  land  of  promise,  they  found 
here 

"Beasts  in  the  forests  of  every  kind,  both  the 
cow,  and  the  ox,  and  the  ass,  and  the  horse,  and 
the  goat,  and  the  wild  goat,  and  all  manner  of  wild 
animals,  which  were  for  the  use  of  men." 

It  is  known  that  horses  were  introduced  into 
America  since  its  discovery  by  Europeans,  and  as 
to  oxen,  they  are  not  supposed  to  be  indigenous  in 
any  country  I  In  other  parts  of  the  work,  sheep 
and  swine  are  alluded  to  as  being  common  here ; 
none  of  which,  our  historical  writers  agree,  were 
here  until  after  the  discovery  of  the  country  by  Co- 
lumbus. ' '  Cureloms  "  and  <  <  cumons  "  are  also  men- 
tioned ;  they  were  probably  here,  and  are  not  known 
to  have  existed  anywhere  else,  and  are  now  extinct. 

But  with  all  its  foolishness  and  glaring  absurdi- 
ties, it  will  not  do  to  say  there  is  no  good  in  this 
Book  of  Mormon.  There  is  in  it  a  great  deal  of 
good  doctrine,  and  precept,  and  instruction,  and 
many  sublime  thoughts.  But  all,  or  nearly  so,  of 
these,  are  direct  and  palpable  plagiarisms  from 
the  Scriptures  and  other  works.  The  nonsense  is 
original ;  and  the  two  are  combined  in  such  an  un- 
skilful way,  as  to  make  it,  as  a  whole,  a  piece  of 
ridiculous  absurdity.  Besides  numerous  detached 
texts  and  phrases  from  the  Bible,  several  whofe 


94  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

chapters  are  copied.  A  number  of  these  chapters 
are  from  the  Prophet  Isaiah.  On  page  86,  first 
edition,  Nephi  is  made  to  say  : 

"  And  now  I,  Nephi,  write  more  of  the  words  of 
Isaiah,  for  my  soul  delighteth  in  his  words." 

Then  he  quotes  continuously  from  the  beginning 
of  chapter  second  to  the  end  of  chapter  fourteen, 
verbatim  from  the  book  of  Isaiah.  The  inquiry  nat- 
urally arises,  How  could  Nephi,  here  in  America, 
in  the  reign  of  Zedekiah,  King  of  Judah,  be  able 
to  quote  from  the  writings  of  Isaiah  in  Jerusalem  ? 
Ah  !  we  must  not  forget :  the  plates  which  Lehi's 
sons  stole  from  Jerusalem,  after  murdering  their 
owner,  Laban,  contained  these  prophecies  of  Isaiah, 
and  those  they  had  with  them  in  America.  But 
another  difficulty  arises  :  Laban's  plates  were  writ- 
ten in  Hebrew  (or  were  they  in  "  Reformed  Egyp- 
tian ?  " — no  matter)  ;  in  either  case  is  it  not  queer 
that  when  rendering  them  into  English,  they  should 
happen  to  coincide,  word  for  word,  sentence  by 
sentence,  with  the  King  James  translation?  Such 
a  feat  in  translation  was  never  before  performed 
since  the  world  began.  Three  hundred  years  ago 
a  number  of  the  learned  men  of  Europe  are  set  to 
work  to  translate  the  Holy  Scriptures,  from  the 
Hebrew,  from  the  Greek,  from  any  language  in 
which  they  were  to  be  found  ;  and  they  produce  the 
version  now  commonly  in  use,  and  known  as  the 


EXAMINATION    CONTINUED.  95 

King  James  version.  In  1829-30  Joseph  Smith 
translates  certain  of  these  chapters  from  what  he 
calls  the  Keformed  Egyptian  tongue,  on  plates  dug 
up  from  the  ground  in  New  York,  where  they  had 
lain  thirteen  hundred  years,  themselves  a  translation 
from  the  Hebrew,  and  "  lo  and  behold,"  these  trans- 
lations perfectly  correspond  !  And  yet  there  are 
thousands  who  see  in  this  a  strong  proof  of  Joe 
Smith's  divine  mission ! 

Many  pages  might  be  written,  filled  with  instances 
of  the  senseless,  ridiculous,  incongruous,  and  blas- 
phemous character  of  the  work.  But  the  foregoing 
are  sufficient  to  show  that  such  a  work  could  never 
have  been  sent  as  a  Message  from  God  to  man. 


96  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER    X. 

REVIEW    CONTINUED. 

TESTIMONY  OF  THREE  WITNESSES — ALSO  OF  EIGHT  WITNESSES 
— "  WHAT  MOKE  NEED  BE  SAID?  " — DEATH  TO  BEHOLD  THE 
PLATES — A  Box  OF  BRICKBATS — TESTIMONY  ANALYZED — 
SMITH'S  "  IPSE  DIXIT  " — COLLUSION  OR  DECEPTION — TESTI- 
MONY INVALID — STRANG'S  FAILURE — LABAN'S  SWORD  AND 
LEIII'S  DIRECTORS. 

AYE  have  now  shown  this  Book  of  Mormon  to 
be  utterly  valueless  as  a  revelation  to  mankind ;  to 
be  puerile,  absurd,  inconsistent,  false,  and  blas- 
phemous. It  does  not  contain  within  its  lids  one 
known  historical  or  scientific  fact,  one  valuable 
religious  or  moral  maxim,  one  elevating  or  en- 
nobling thought,  not  to  be  found  elsewhere,  pro- 
mulgated long  before  its  framers  had  existence. 

Let  us  next  consider  the  testimony  and  the  means 
and  methods  by  which  it  is  attempted  to  palm  it 
upon  the  world.  The  fact  of  its  un worthiness  alone, 
however,  ought  to  be  conclusive  against  it.  The 
Almighty  could  not,  by  extraordinary  or  any  other 
means,  communicate  to  mankind  an  unworthy  mes- 
sage. 

A  story  to  be  believed,  must,  1,  Be  reasonable  ; 
2,  Must  agree  in  its  several  parts;  3,  Must  com- 


'  HE  VIEW    CONTINUED.  97 

port  with  well-known  facts ;  and,  4,  Must  keep 
nothing  back.  A  departure  from  any  of  these  is 
pritna  fade  evidence  of  its  falsity.  This  story, 
told  by  Smith  and  those  who  vouch  for  him,  is  a 
departure  from  ALL  these  conditions.  His  own  testi- 
mony has  been  given  in  a  previous  chapter.  It  is 
attempted  to  be  supported  by  that  of  eleven  witnesses 
— three  in  one  certificate,  and  eight  in  another. 
The  three  certify  as  follows : 

THE    TESTIMONY   OF   THREE   WITNESSES. 

Be  it  known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues, 
and  people,  unto  whom  this  work  shall  come,  that 
we,  through  the  grace  of  God,  the  Father,  and  our 
Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  have  seen  the  plates  which  con- 
tain this  record,  which  is  a  record  of  the  people  of 
Nephi,  and  also  of  the  Lamanites,  his  brethren,  and 
also  of  the  people  of  Jared,  which  came  from  the 
tower  of  which  hath  been  spoken  ;  and  we  also  know 
that  they  have  been  translated  by  the  gift  and  power 
of  God,  for  his  voice  hath  declared  it  unto  us ; 
wherefore  we  know  of  a  surety,  that  the  work  is 
true.  And  we  also  testify  that  we  have  seen  the 
engravings  which  are  upon  the  plates ;  and  they 
have  been  shown  unto  us  by  the  power  of  God  and 
not  of  man.  And  we  declare  with  words  of  sober- 
ness, that  an  angel  of  God  came  down  from  heaven, 
and  he  brought  and  laid  before  our  eyes,  that  we 
beheld  and  saw  the  plates  and  the  engravings  there- 
on ;  and  we  know  that  it  is  by  the  grace  of  God, 
the  Father,  and  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  be- 
held and  bear  record  that  these  things  are  true ; 
and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.  Nevertheless,  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  commanded  us  that  we  should 
bear  record  of  it;  wherefore,  to  be  obedient  unto 


98  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

the  commandments  of  God,  we  bear  testimony  of 
these  things.  And  we  know  that  if  we  are  faithful 
in  Christ,  we  shall  rid  our  garments  of  the  blood  of 
all  men,  and  be  found  spotless  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ,  and  shall  dwell  with  him  eternally  in 
the  heavens.  And  the  honor  be  to  the  Father,  and 
to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  one 
God.  Amen. 

OLIVER  COWDERY, 
DAVID  WHITMER, 
MARTIN  HARRIS. 
(No  date.) 

The  reader  will  note  the  names  of  these  three 
witnesses.  Then  follows : 

AND  ALSO  THE    TESTIMONY  OF   EIGHT  WITNESSES. 

Be  it  known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues, 
and  people,  unto  whom  this  work  shall  come,  that 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  author  and  proprietor  of 
this  work,  has  shewn  unto  us  the  plates  of  which 
hath  been  spoken,  which  have  the  appearance  of 
gold ;  and  as  many  of  the  leaves  as  the  said  Smith 
has  translated,  we  did  handle  with  our  hands ;  and 
we  also  saw  the  engravings  thereon,  all  of  which 
has  the  appearance  of  ancient  work,  and  of  curious 
workmanship.  And  thus  we  bear  record,  with 
words  of  soberness,  that  the  said  Smith  has  shewn 
unto  us,  for  we  have  seen  and  hefted,  and  know  of 
a  surety  that  the  said  Smith  has  got  the  plates  of 
which  we  have  spoken.  And  we  give  our  names 
unto  the  world  to  witness  unto  the  world  that  which 
we  have  seen  :  and  we  lie  not,  God  bearing  witness 
of  it. 

CHRISTIAN  WHITMER,     HIRAM  PAGE, 
JACOB  WHITMER,  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Sr., 

PETER  WHITMER,  Jr. ,   HYRUM  SMITH, 
JOHN  WHITMER,  SAMUEL  H.  SMITH. 

date.) 


MARTIN    HARRIS. 


OLIVER    COWDERY. 


DAVID    WHITMER 


THE  THREE  WITNESSES. 


REVIEW    CONTINUED.  99 

' «  What  more  need  be  said  ?  "  triumphantly  ex- 
claims the  editor  of  the  Deseret  Wews,  after  quot- 
ing these  testimonials.  Much  more  may  be  said. 
The  first  inquiry  one  would  be  likely  to  make  after 
reading  them  and  hearing  Smith's  story  for  the  first 
time,  would  be — Why  should  Smith  resort  to  super- 
natural means  to  prove  the  truth  of  the  story,  when 
ample  natural  means  were  at  hand  ?  Why  should 
he  call  in  the  angels  to  convince  the  world  that  he 
had  the  plates,  when  it  was  only  necessary  to  ex- 
hibit them  openly  to  the  people,  to  convince  them? 
There  were  hundreds  of  people  about  Palmyra,  and 
thousands  in  the  near  cities  and  towns,  certainly 
quite  as  respectable  and  truth-loving  as  these  eleven 
witnesses,  who  would  have  been  glad  to  testify  of 
the  fact,  without  angels'  aid,  had  they  been  allowed 
the  opportunity.  And  they  would  as  gladly  have 
aided  with  their  means,  to  have  the  plates  properly 
translated  and  published,  trusting  to  the  common- 
sense  of  mankind  to  judge  of  their  value.  Yet  he 
studiously  avoided  exhibiting  them  to  any  one, 
learned  or  unlearned,  on  the  miserable  pretence 
that  it  would  be  death  for  any  one  to  behold  them. 
Why  did  not  the  eleven  fall  dead  at  the  terrible 
sight,  instead  of  living,  to  be  afterwards  denounced 
as  liars  and  scoundrels  by  the  prophet,  and  "given 
over  to  the  buffet-ings  of  the  Devil,"  as  the  chiefest 
among  them  were?  Carefully  shut  in  A  box  and 


100  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

covered  with  a  cloth,  was  his  mode  of  showing 
them  to  his  associates.  And  the  story  is  told  about 
Palmyra,  that  two  men,  by  a  bold  manoeuvre,  did 
obtain  a  sight  of  what  was  beneath  the  cloth.  They 
prevailed  upon  him  to  remove  the  lid  of  the  box, 
when  one  of  them,  in  his  impetuosity,  and  remem- 
bering the  death  penalty,  exclaimed,  "Egad,  I'll 
see  the  critter,  live  or  die  !  "  and  snatching  off  the 
cloth,  disclosed — a  LARGE  BRICKBAT  !  And  the 
sight  didn't  kill  him,  either.  The  testimony  of 
these  two  men  should  have  been  added  to  the  other 
testimonials.  They  saw  it  with  their  natural  eyes, 
and  their  testimony  could  have  been  believed. 

To  analyze  the  statements  of  these  eleven  wit- 
nesses :  The  first  three  assert  that  they  (together 
apparently)  were  shown  the  plates  containing  the 
record  ;  that  they  had  seen  the  engravings  thereon  ; 
that  this  book  is  a  correct  translation  thereof,  and 
that  it  is  true.  How  did  they  know  all  this  ?  By 
the  grace  of  God,  and  because  an  angel  told  them 
so.  How  did  they  know  it  was  the  voice  of  God 
and  an  angel  ?  Because  Joseph  Smith  said  so.  How 
did  Joseph  Smith  know?  Because  a  messenger 
from  heaven  revealed  it  to  him  in  a  vision ;  and 
because  the  prophets  foretold,  in  this  same  record, 
that  another  Joseph  should  bring  it  to  light,  and 
that  three  witnesses  should  testify  thereof !  So  all 
this  array  of  testimony  is  based  on  his  ipse  dixit 


REVIEW    CONTINUED  101 

alone ;  evidently  so,  also,  from  statements  in  his 
autobiography,  and  from  more  than  one  of  his  pre- 
tended revelations,  to  which  we  shall  presently 
refer.  The  eight  certify  that  the  plates  were  shown 
them,  not  by  an  angel,  but  by  Smith  himself,  and 
that  they  had  handled  and  "  hefted  "  them — whether 
in  a  box  and  covered,  they  do  not  say — and  further, 
that  he  was  "  author  and  proprietor"  of  the  work. 
Those  eleven  must  have  been  very  "knowing" 
men. 

These  certificates  are  both  evidently  emanations 
from  Smith's  own  mind — in  the  same  style  and  f 
partly- in  the  same  language.  And  one  of  them  is 
subsequently  altered,  long  after  signature  and  after 
the  publication  of  the  book,  to  make  it  conform  to 
the  new  claim  that  he  was  only  the  "  translator," 
and  not  the  "  author  and  proprietor." 

Who  are  these  eleven  witnesses,  and  had  they 
any  incentives  to  make  these  testimonials  ?  Being 
without  date,  we  must  guess  at  the  period  they 
were  written,  but  it  was  evidently  after  Smith  had 
decided  to  make  a  book,  and  intended  these  testi- 
monials as  aids  to  give  it  circulation.  All  of  them, 
except  Harris  and  Page,  belonged  to  the  two 
families  of  Smith  and  Whitmer — five  of  the  latter 
and  three  of  the  former — Cowdery's  wife  being  also 
a  Whitmer.  Nearly  all  of  them  had  a  pecuniary  > 
interest  in  the  success  of  the  venture.  Cowdery 


102  THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYHA. 

and  Harris  had  each  been  the  amanuensis  of  the 
prophet  during  the  translation,  and  the  elder  Whit- 
iner  had  boarded  him,  and  they  were  his  creditors 
to  that  amount.  Besides  this,  Harris  had  already 
given  him  fifty  dollars,  and  was  the  capitalist  to 
foot  the  printer's  bill  of  three  thousand  dollars. 
The  circumstances  strongly  suggest  collusion,  but 
it  is  unimportant  whether  they  signed  the  papers 
knowing  their  falsity,  or  did  so  as  the  result  of  a 
too  implicit  reliance  on  Smith's  word. 

Again,  is  it  not  a  fair  presumption  that  Mrs. 
Smith  would  have  seen  or  known  something  positive 
about  those  plates,  had  there  been  any  ?  Yet  numer- 
ous persons  have  testified  that  she  always  denied 
having  seen  them,  and  declared  that  she  knew  no 
more  about  them  than  others.  She  had  seen  and 
handled  a  box,  said  by  her  husband  to  contain 
them ;  but  had  not  taken  interest  enough  to  look 
into  it.  Can  it  be  possible,  under  this  state  of 
facts,  that  Mrs.  Emma  Hale  Smith  believed  that 
box  contained  golden  plates  worth  thousands  of 
dollars  in  value,  and  carried  in  living  characters  a 
message  from  heaven  to  earth,  that  was  to  work 
the  redemption  of  mankind  ;  and  that  her  husband 
was  a  chosen  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  to 
effect  that  redemption?  No,  it  is  no  stretch  of 
imagination  to  believe  that  Emma  Smith  went  to 
her  grave  believing — not  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a 


HE  VIEW    CONTINUED.  103 

"  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Itevelator" — but  that  lie  was 
instead  an  arrant  fraud  and  impostor. 

Mormon  writers  assert  that  the  testimony  of 
the  eleven  witnesses  would  be  strong  enough  to 
substantiate  the  claim  "  in  any  court  of  justice  on 
earth."  So  far  from  this  being  true,  it  is  just  such 
testimony  as  would  be  thrown  out  of  any  court,  in 
accordance  writh  well  established  rules  of  evidence. 
Nor  do  the  Mormons  themselves  always  accept  such 
testimony.  James  J.  Strang,  at  a  later  day  one  of 
the  faithful,  tried  a  similar  game  at  Vorcc,  Wis- 
consin, but  failed  to  obtain  any  considerable  fol- 
lowing. His  plates  and  translation  were  witnessed 
by  four  persons.  Perhaps  if  he  had  introduced 
angels  and  fighting  devils  into  his  story,  and  another 
Urim  and  Thummim,  and  another  assassin's  sword, 
he  might  have  gained  the  ears  of  more  of  his  breth- 
ren. But  he  introduced  only  human  witnesses  and 
natural  means,  and  failed.  It  is  the  marvellous 
and  impossible  only  that  can  give  credence  in  some 
minds. 

"We  have  shown  that  the  testimony  of  these 
eleven  witnesses  was  but  the  ipw  dixit  of  Smith 
himself.  We  will  now  turn  to  his  book  of  revela- 
tions, the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  and  see  what 
he  says  about  it.  In  March,  1829,  while  this  pre- 
tondcd  translation  was  <roinir  forward,  or  about  the 
time  of  it^  close,  and  the  approach  of  the  day  when 


104  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

the  three  thousand  dollars  must  be  forthcoming, 
Martin  Harris  very  naturally  became  anxious  for 
further  evidence,  and  was  brought  to  silence  and 
obedience  with  the  following  revelation  : 

"  Behold,  I  say  unto  you,  that  as  my  servant, 
Martin  Harris,  has  desired  a  witness  at  my  hand, 
that  you,  my  servant,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  have  got 
the  plates  of  which  you  have  testified  and  borne 
record  that  you  have  received  of  me  ;  and  now,  be- 
hold, this  sliall  you  say  unto  him,  He  who  spake 
unto  you  said  unto  you,  I,  the  Lord,  am  God,  and 
have  given  these  things  unto  you,  my  servant, 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  have  commanded  you  that 
you  should  stand  as  a  witness  of  these  things,  and 
I  have  caused  you  that  you  should  enter  into  a 
covenant  with  me,  that  you  should  not  show  them 
except  to  those  persons  to  whom  I  commanded 
you,  and  you  have  no  power  over  them  except 
I  grant  it  unto  you.  And  you  have  a  gift  to 
translate  the  plates,  etc.  .  .  .  And  that  he 
shall  say  unto  the  people  of  this  generation,  be- 
hold, I  have  seen  the  things  which  the  Lord  has 
shown  unto  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  I  know  of  a 
surety  that  they  are  true,  for  I  have  seen  them  ; 
for  they  have  been  shown  unto  me  by  the  power 
of  God,  and  not  of  man." — Doc.  and  Cov.,  pp.  fi!- 
70,  Piano  edition. 

The  English  of  this  is,  in  short,  that  Smith  in- 
forms Harris  that  the  Lord  requires  him  to  lie 
about  having  seen  the  plates,  and  it  appears  that 
he  accepted  the  message,  and  did  so. 

Again,  same  edition,  page  89 ; 


REVIEW   CONTINUED,  los 

"REVELATION  given   to    Oliver   Coicdery,    David 
Wliitmer,    and    Martin   Harris,    June,    1829, 
previous   to  their  viewing  the  plates  containing 
the  Book  of  Mormon. 

"  Behold  I  say  unto  you,  that  you  must  rely  upon 
my  word,  which,  if  you  do  with  full  purpose  of 
heart,  you  shall  have  a  view  of  the  plates,  and  also 
of  the  breastplate,  the  sword  of  Laban,  the  Urim 
and  Thummim,  which  were  given  to  the  brother  of 
Jared  upon  the  mount,  when  he  talked  with  the 
Lord  face  to  face,  and  the  miraculous  directors 
which  were  given  to  Lehi  while  in  the  wilderness 
on  the  borders  of  the  Red  Sea  ;  and  it  is  by  your 
faith  that  you  shall  obtain  a  view  of  them,  even  by 
that  faith  which  was  had  by  the  prophets  of  old." 

And  they  had  faith,  for  did  not  Smith  tell  them 
they  must  have?  And  they  did  rely  upon  the 
Lord's  word,  for  did  not  Smith  tell  them  it  was  the 
word  of  the  Lord  ?  And  they  did  view  the  plates 
through  faith,  for  Smith  told  them  the  Lord  said 
that  was  the  way  it  was  to  be  done ;  and  after 
seeing  them  through  faith,  they  must  testify  to 
their  truth.  Certainly ;  these  revelations  explain 
the  testimony  of  the  eleven  witnesses.  "What 
more  need  be  said  ?  " 

But  why  did  not  these  three  witnesses  tell  the 
whole  story?  The  revelation  promised  them  that 
they  should  see  not  only  the  plates,  but  the  breast- 
plate, the  sword  of  Laban,  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim, and  Lehi's  directors;  yet  they  only  tell  of 
seeing  the  plates. 


106  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

The  instruments  used  by  Jared  and  his  brother, 
and  by  Lehi,  in  crossing  the  sea,  have  heretofore 
been  alluded  to  in  these  pages ;  but  the  sword  of 
Laban  has  not.  This  sword,  it  will  be  remembered 
by  readers  of  the  Book  of 'Mormon ,  belonged  to 
Laban,  a  friend  of  Lehi,  who  remained  at  Jerusa- 
lem. After  leaving  that  city  and  journeying  some 
time  in  the  wilderness,  Lehi  bethought  him  of  some 
plates  that  Laban  had,  containing  much  genealogi- 
cal and  other  Jewish  history,  and  he  coveted  them. 
So  he  sent  his  sons  back  to  obtain  them ;  but 
Laban  refused  to  give  them  up,  and  the  boys  slew 
him  with  his  own  sword,  and  stealing  the  plates 
and  the  sword,  made  their  way  back  unmolested  to 
their  kind-hearted  father.  Those  stolen  plates, 
and  that  sword,  with  the  stain  of  assassination  on  its 
blade,  are  a  part  of  the  relics  which  the  Lord  had 
handed  down  from  father  to  son  through  many 
generations — to  be  dug  out  of  Cumorah  hill,  and 
testified  of  by  these  three  witnesses;  and  they 
failed  to  do  it  at  last  I 


FURTHER    REVELATIONS.  107 


CHAPTEE    XI. 

FURTHER   REVELATIONS    AND   LABORS. 

THE  WORLD'S  REDEMPTION  AT  HAND — HARRIS  OBSTINATE, 
BUT  YIELDS — HE  SEES  MONEY  IN  IT — REVELATIONS  CON- 
TINUE—  CHURCH  DISCIPLINE  —  SIDNEY  RIGDON'S  HAND 
MANIFEST  —  A  NEW  STATEMENT  CONCERNING  HTM  — 
CHURCH  ORGANIZED — CALVIN  STODDARD'S  CONVERSION — 
"SUPPORT"  FOR  THE  PROPHET— No.  1  PROVIDED  FOR — 
THE  ELECT  LADY — RIGDON  CONVERTED — TAKES  HIGH 
RANK— PARLEY  P.  PRATT— ZION  ESTABLISHED— FANATICAL 
EXCESSES — SMITH  AND  COWDERY  BAPTIZED. 

WE  have  thus  far  seen  the  plates  taken  from 
their  long  repose  in  the  hill  of  Cumorah,  carried 
about  in  a  box  by  the  young  prophet,  after  three 
years  translated,  their  authenticity  and  truthfulness 
vouched  for,  and  the  copyright  of  a  book  obtained ; 
and  now  the  work  is  ready  to  be  issued  for  the 
redemption  of  the  world.  But  it  cost  something 
in  those  days,  as  well  as  now,  to  print  books ;  and 
where  was  the  money  to  come  from  to  pay  for  the 
edition  of  five  thousand  copies,  deemed  necessaiy 
to  begin  with  ?  None  of  the  Smiths  and  none  of 
the  Whitmers,  with  Cowdery  and  Page  to  help, 
were  in  a  financial  condition  sufficiently  prosperous 
to  meet  the  requirement.  Martin  Harris  was  the 
only  camel  that  was  known  to  be  able  to  carry  the 


108  Tim    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

heavy  burden  ;  but  he  was  not  yet  quite  willing  to 
kneel  down  and  receive  the  load.  Yet  he  thought 
he  could  see  money  in  the  venture.  He  was  told 
that  the  retail  price  for  the  book  had  been  fixed  by 
divine  authority  at  $1.25  per  copy,  cheap  enough 
for  so  valuable  a  message,  and  as  everybody  would 
be  keen  to  purchase,  there  must  be  a  fortune  in  the 
enterprise.  He  figured  thus:  "$1.25X5,000= 
$6,250  ;  cost  $3,000 ;  profit  $3,250,  not  taking  into 
account  the  large  sums  to  be  obtained  on  future 
editions.*  Still  he  hesitated  and  was  rebellious; 
and  to  add  to  his  own  misgivings,  he  had  at  home 
a  very  heavy  weight  to  hold  him  back,  in  the  per- 
son of  his  more  cautious  wife.  But  the  prophet 
was  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  brought  forth  the 
following  to  counteract  the  obstinacy  of  his  dupe  : 

"A  Commandment  of  God,  and  not  of  man,  to 
Martin  Harris,  given  (Manchester,  N.  Y, ,  March, 
1830)  by  Him  who  is  eternal." 

It  was  designed  to  be  impressive,  for  Martin's 
aid  must  be  secured.  After  rebuking  and  threaten- 
ing him  severely  for  his  disobedience  and  want  of 
faith,  section  three  reads  as  follows  : 

"3.  And  again  I  command  theethat  thou  shalt 
not  covet  thy  neigbor's.  wife,  nor  seek  thy  neigh- 
bor's life.  And  again  I  command  thee  that  thou 

*  Of  the  many  editions  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  yet  pub- 
lished, no  one  ever  heard  of  Martin  Harris  or  his  heirs  receiv- 
ing any  perquisites.  So  the  venture  proved  to  be  not  so  great 
a  speculation  as  he  imagined. 


FURTHER    REVELATIONS.  109 

shalt  not  covet  thine  own  property,  but  impart  it 
freely  to  the  printing  of  the  Bool:  of  Mormon,  which 
contains  the  truth  and  the  word  of  God,  which  is 
my  word  to  the  gentiles,  that  soon  it  may  go  to  the 
Jew,  of  whom  the  Lamanites  are  a  remnant,  that 
they  may  believe  the  gospel,  and  look  not  for  a 
Messiah  to  come,  who  has  already  come." 
He  was  then  asked  : 

"  Behold,  canst  thou  read  this  without  rejoHng 
and  lifting  up  thy  heart  for  gladness?"  "  •'  . 

Subsequent  events  proved  that  Mr.  Harris  had 
yet  some  misgivings  as  to  the  condition  of  his  heart, 
yet  he  surrendered ;  the  farm  was  mortgaged,  and 
the  printing  paid  for. 

Ab'out  this  period  several  revelations  were  ob- 
tained, giving  directions  as  to  creed,  church  polity, 
and  discipline.  In  these  revelations  the  hand  of 
Sidney  Rigdon  is  conspicuously  manifest,  although 
Mormon  chronology  places  his  advent  among  them 
at  some  months'  later  period.  This  fact  strongly 
confirms  the  belief  that  Mr.  Eigdon  was  through 
the  whole  a  prime  actor  and  mover,  behind  the 
scenes,  if  not  the  real  instigator.  In  such  case, 
these  church  affairs  must  have  been  subsequently 
fixed  up  and  ante-dated  to  suit  the  occasion. 

Mr.  Tucker,  in  his  work  on  Mormonism,  men- 
tions a  "  mysterious  stranger  "  who  was,  on  several 
occasions,  seen  about  the  Smith  residence,  during 
the  days  that  the  prophet  and  Cowdery  were  en- 
gaged in  the  translation.  Of  this  we  had  not,  until 


no         THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYPA. 

lately,  been  able  to  obtain  any  proof,  but  now  have 
positive  testimony  on  the  subject.  Under  date  of 
January  19,  1885,  a  gentleman  of  undoubted  char- 
acter for  veracity,  now  resident  of  a  western  state, 
but  who  was  in  the  early  days  of  Mormonism  residing 
at  Palmyra,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  Smith 
*  family,  informs  us  that  he  saw  said  Rigdon  there  at 
three  different  dates  :  once  in  the  spring  of  1827, 
once  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  and  again  in  the 
summer  of  1828  ;  that  he  was  told  by  a  member  of 
the  Smith  family  that  it  was  "  Sidney  Rigdon,  a 
friend  of  Joseph's  from  Pennsylvania."  He  also 
informs  us  that  Oliver  Cowdery  came  there  from 
Kirtland,  Ohio,  in  the  summer  of  1826,  and  in  the 
autumn  took  a  school  in  the  district  in  which  the 
Smiths  lived ;  that  he  came  again  the  next  year, 
and  taking  the  school,  taught  about  a  week,  when 
he  resigned,  and  went  to  writing  for  the  prophet. 

These  statements  concerning  Rigdon  and  Cow- 
dery throw  a  flood  of  light  on  the  early  history  of 
the  fraud,  and  they  explain  the  dilemma  which  oc- 
curred during  the  translation  and  loss  of  the  116 
pages  of  manuscript  by  Martin's  disobedience. 
Rigdon  had  to  be  consulted ;  and  he  was  in  Ohio, 
several  hundred  miles  away.  Hence  the  seven 
months'  interruption  and  delay. 

On  April  6,  1830,  the  "  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-Day  Saints  "  was  organized,  with  a  mem- 


FURTHER    REVELATIONS.  Ill 

bership  of  about  thirty  persons,  says  Smith  ;  and  on 
that  day  Smith  obtained  a  revelation  investing  him 
with  the  titles  of  "  Seer,"  "Translator,"  "Prophet," 
"  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,"  and  constituting  him  also 
an  < '  Elder  in  the  Church . "  And  the  SIXTH  OF  APRIL , 
not  the  first,  as  it  should  have  been,  has  been  the 
holy  day  of  the  Saints  ever  since,  among  all  its 
branches  ;  and  on  that  day  annually  the  great  Con- 
ference meetings  are  held.  Among  the  thirty  per- 
sons composing  the  original  church,  were  all  the 
Smiths,  all  the  Whitmers,  with  Cowdery,  and  Har- 
ris, and  Page,  and  Calvin  Stoddard,  whose  wife  was 
also  a  Smith. 

A  ludicrous  account  of  the  conversion  of  Stod- 
dard is  told  by  Hon.  Stephen  S.  Harding,  subse- 
quently a  judge  in  Indiana,  and  at  one  time  one  of 
the  many  Governors  of  Utah  Territory.  Mr. 
Harding  was  a  wild,  fun-loving  boy  of  eighteen 
about  Palmyra,  and  knowing  Stoddard's  peculiari- 
ties, decided  on  a  bit  of  sport.  So,  repairing  to 
Stoddard's  residence  late  one  night,  he  awoke  the 
sleeper  by  three  raps  upon  the  door,  and  then  in  a 
loud  and  solemn  voice  proclaimed  : 

"  Cal-vin  Stod-dard  !  Cal-vin  Stod-dard  !  the 
an-gel  of  the  Lord  com-mands  that  be-fore  an-o-ther 
go-ing  down  of  the  sun,  thou  shaltgo  forth  a-mong 
the  peo-ple  and  preach  the  gos-pel  of  Ne-phi,  or 
thy  wife  shall  be  a  wid-ow,  thy  chil-dren  or-phans, 
and  thy  ash-es  scat-ter-ed  to  the  four  winds  of 
heav-en." 


112  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

The  result  was  rather  more  dramatic  than  the 
young  scapegrace  anticipated.  He  had  no  sooner 
closed,  than  he  heard  Stoddard  out  on  the  floor,  in 
great  excitement,  promising  obedience  to  the  divine 
requirement ;  and  he  was  out  the  next  morning 
among  his  associates,  reporting  how,  amid  the 
thunders  of  heaven,  he  had  had  a  call  to  the  new 
dispensation.*  And  it  is  believed  that  he  remained 
faithful  to  the  last ;  he  was  with  his  people  at  Nau- 
voo,  and  died  near  that  city.  To  the  credit  of 
young  Harding,  it  may  be  added,  that  he  afterwards 
endeavored  to  undo  the  evil  he  had  done,  by  sug- 
gesting to  Mr.  Stoddard  that  it  might  have  been  a 
trick.  But  his  effort  was  of  no  avail ;  the  delusion 
was  too  strong  to  be  overcome. 

In  July,  1830,  another  church  or  two  had  been 
organized  in  the  neighborhood ;  and  during  that 
month  Smith  announced  another  revelation  that 
they  should  support  him,  and  promising  them  "  a 
cursing  instead  of  a  blessing,"  if  they  failed  to  com- 
ply. "For  thou  shalt  devote  all  thy  service  to 
Zion."  It  also  provided  that  no  debt  should  be 
collected  from  him ,  for  * l  whosoever  shall  go  to  law 
with  thee,  shall  be  cursed  by  the  law." 

".  .  .  And  thou  shalt  take  no  purse,  nor  scrip, 
neither  staves,  neither  two  coats,  for  the  Church 
shall  give  unto  thee  in  the  very  hour  what  thou 

*  Tucker's  History, 


FURTHER    REVELATIONS.  113 

needest  for  food,  and  for  raiment,  and  for  shoes, 
and  for  money,  and  for  scrip." 

Thus  early  was  NUMBER  ONE  provided  for. 

Another  revelation  conciliates  Emma,  the  wife, 
who  still  had  her  doubts ;  doubts,  which  it  is  be- 
lieved, were  never  dispelled  during  her  whole  life- 
time. It  called  her  the  "  Elect  Lady,"  and  prom- 
ised her  employment  in  compiling  a  book  of  hymns. 
One  revelation,  September,  1830,  states  that  John 
the  Baptist  is  sent  to  Smith  and  Cowdery  to  ordain 
them.  In  referring  to  the  autobiography,  we  find 
the  following  blasphemous  statement  of  that  trans- 
action •* 

* '  While  we  were  thus  employed  [out  in  the 
woods  praying] ,  praying  and  calling  upon  the  Lord, 
a  messenger  from  heaven  descended  in  a  cloud  of 
light,  and  having  laid  his  hands  upon  us,  he  or- 
dained us,  saying  unto  us,  '  Upon  you  my  fellow- 
servants,  in  the  name  of  Messiah,  I  confer  the 
priesthood  of  Aaron,  which  holds  the  keys  of 
the  ministering  of  angels,  and  of  the  gospel  of  re- 
pentance, and  of  baptism  by  immersion,  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  and  this  shall  never  again  be 
taken  from  the  earth,  until  the  sons  of  Levi  do  offer 
again  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  in  righteousness.' 
.  Accordingly  we  went  and  were  baptized, 
I  baptized  him  first,  and  afterwards  he  baptized  me. 
.  .  .  No  sooner  had  I  baptized  Oliver  Cowdery, 
than  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  him.  .  .  .  And 
again,  so  soon  as  I  had  been  baptized  by  him,  I  also 
had  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  etc.  .  .  .  The  mes- 
senger who  visited  us  on  this  occasion,  and  con- 
ferred this  priesthood  upon  us,  said  his  name  was 


114  THE    PEOPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

John,  the  same  that  is  called  John  the  Baptist  in 
the  New  Testament,  and  that  he  acted  under  the 
direction  of  Peter,  James,  and  John,  who  held  the 
keys  of  the  priesthood  of  Melchizadeck,  etc." — 
Times  and  Seasons,  vol.  iii.  866. 

There  was  also  a  revelation,  in  September,  to 
Oliver  Cowdery,  assigning  him  to  the  duty  of 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Lamanites.  The  same 
revelation  announces  that  Smith  shall  be  appointed  to 
preside  over  the  Conference  about  to  be  held ;  but 
that  the  choice  is  to  be  made  "  by  the  voice  of  it." 
Cowdery  is  supposed  to  have  had  some  aspirations 
for  the  honor,  but  is  thus  forestalled.  The  revelation 
also  requires  Cowdery  to  take  Hiram  Page  aside 
and  tell  him  that  those  things  which  he  (Page) 
"  hath  written  from  that  stone  are  not  of  me,  and 
Satan  deceiveth  him."  Page  had  become  ambitious 
to  be  a  seer  also,  and  had  supplied  himself  with  a 
white  stone  for  the  purpose.  Such  a  thing  could 
not  be  permitted  under  the  new  dispensation.  A 
month  later  another  revelation  came,  commanding 
that  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Peter  Whitmer,  Jr.,  and  Ziba 
Peterson  should  accompany  Cowdery  to  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Lamanites. 

In  obedience  to  this  command,  the  four  accord- 
ingly start  to  hunt  up  the  Lamanites,  those  mod- 
ern Jewish- American  Indians,  to  whom  this  new 
gospel  is  specially  sent,  but  so  far  has  never  reached. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1830  there  were  still 


FURTHER    REVELATIONS.  115 

numbers  of  Indians  in  their  own  State  of  Xew 
York  and  other  near  points,  yet  these  missionaries 
were  deputed  to  the  unsettled  regions  west  of  Mis- 
souri, in  the  then  known  Indian  Territory,  a  thou- 
sand miles  away.  On  their  way,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  Cowdery  and  Pratt,  they  were  providentially 
brought  to  the  home  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  at  Mentor, 
Ohio.  With  difficulty  they  pressed  upon  him  a 
copy  of  the  Xew  Revelation,  which  he  very  de- 
cidedly, and  more  truthfully  pronounced  "  a  silly 
fabrication,"  a  judgment,  the  correctness  of  which, 
it  is  believed,  none  knew  better  than  he.  But  in 
a  few  days  it  converted  him,  and  he  became  hence- 
forth a  noted  and  talented  leader  among  them, 
taking  rank  always  as  second  in  position.  Cow- 
dery, the  faithful  scribe,  the  voluble  Pratt,  Harris, 
the  banker,  David  Whitmer,  and  « '  brother  Ilyrum  " 
even,  all  had  to  stand  aside  and  allow  Rigdon  the 
first  place  by  the  prophet's  side.  He  was  probably 
the  best  qualified  to  maintain  that  position.  He 
had  a  fair  education,  and  was  a  fluent  speaker.  He 
had  been  a  disciple  of  Alexander  Campbell,  the 
brilliant  founder  of  the  sect  then  known  in  that 
region  as  "Xew Lights,"  or  "  Campbellites."  There 
was  a  congregation  atKirtland  composed  mostly,  it 
is  stated,  of  dissenters  from  other  churches,  and 
also  from  the  Campbellites,  who,  having  some  no- 


116  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

tions  peculiar  to  themselves,  had  formed  an  inde- 
pendent organization.  Of  this  church  Mr.  Rigdon 
was  serving  as  pastor,  when  these  emissaries  to  the 
Lamanites  arrived.  Many  of  these  followed  Rigdon. 

This  accession  at  Kirtland  greatly  strengthened 
the  band.  Rigdon  early  repaired  to  Smith  in  New 
York,  and  received  a  revelation  promising  great 
things  for  him,  and  that  he 'was  to  write,  while 
Joseph  was  to  prophesy.  And  soon,  doubtless 
under  the  inspiration  of  the  new  convert,  another 
revelation  came,  that  they  should  "  remove  to  the 
Ohio,"  where  the  headquarters  of  the  sect — the 
"  Zion  "  into  which  they  were  all  to  be  gathered — 
was  to  be  located,  and  which  was  to  remain  an 
everlasting  inheritance.  Pratt  was  a  resident  of 
Northern  Ohio,  and  is  said  to  have  been  on  the 
canal  in  New  York  when  he  became  converted  to 
Mormonism.  He  had  been  a  friend  and  follower 
of  Rigdon. 

While  Rigdon  was  gone  to  Palmyra,  and  Cow- 
dery  and  Pratt  to  the  Lamanites  on  the  Mis- 
souri border,  these  Ohio  converts  fell  into  many 
fanatical  excesses,  pretending  to  work  miracles, 
heal  the  sick  *by  laying  on  of  hands,  talk  in  un- 
known tongues,  commune  with  spirits  and  with  the 
Saviour,  etc.  Howe's  Mormonism  Unveiled  gives 
a  specimen  of  a  written  communication  claimed  by 


PARLEY  P.  PRATT. 


FURTHER    REVELATIONS.  117 

two  of  these  fanatics  to  have  been  obtained  from 
Jesus  Christ,  and  signed  by  him  thus  : 

C  Be  ye  always  ready,  ^ 

5  Be  ye  always  ready,  >      WHEN  I  SHALL  CALL. 

(  Be  ye  always  ready,  ) 

My  Seal: 


The  command  to  establish  the  headquarters  at 
Kirtland  was  soon  felt  in  that  little  village  and  vicin- 
ity. As  fast  as  they  were  made,  proselytes  were  re- 
quired to  remove  thither,  and  of  their  substance  con- 
tribute to  the  building  up  of  Zion.  In  January,  1831, 
this  first  hint  of  settling  in  Ohio  was  given,  but  in 
February  and  March  several  revelations  followed, 
referring  to  the  Zion  and  its  place  "  hereafter  to 
be  appointed." 

In  January  we  find  two  revelations,  which,  as 
specimens  of  the  Lord's  dealings  with  mankind 
(according  to  the  New  Dispensation),  are  at  least 
curious  and  worthy  of  a  place  here.  James  Covill 
was  a  convert  in  New  York.  For  some  reason 
not  given,  he  wanted  to  go  back  east,  a  proposition 
which  Smith  did  not  sanction.  After  many  threat- 
enings  and  promises,  James  was  directed  not  to  go 
to  the  east,  "but  thou  art  called  to  go  to  the 
Ohio."  Covill,  however,  disobeyed,  and  did  go 


118  THE    PllOPHET    OF   PALMYEA. 

east.  The  next  revelation  is  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
and  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  being  short,  is  copied  en- 
tire : 

' *  RE VELATIOX  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Sidney 
Rigdon,  given  January,  1831,  explaining  why 
James  Covill  obeyed  not  the  revelation  given 
unto  him. 

"1.  Behold,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the 
heart  of  my  servant,  James  Covill,  was  right  before 
me,  for  he  covenanted  with  me  that  he  would  obey 
my  word.  And  he  received  the  word  with  glad- 
ness, but  straightway  Satan  tempted  him ;  and  the 
fear  of  persecution,  and  the  cares  of  the  world, 
caused  him  to  reject  the  word ;  wherefore  he  broke 
my  covenant,  and  it  remaineth  with  me  now  to  do 
with  him  as  seemeth  me  good.  Amen." 

And  that  is  the  whole  of  it,  amounting  to  this  : 
that  the  Lord,  fearing  the  prophet  and  his  vice- 
gerent might  be  offended  with  him  for  permitting 
Covill  to  act  so,  deemed  it  necessary  to  explain, 
showing  that  it  was  not  his  fault,  but  that  Satan 
alone  was  to  blame.  Whether  the  explanation  was 
received  as  satisfactory,  we  are  left  in  doubt.  These 
revelations  are  numbered  sections  39  and  40,  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants,  Piano  Edition. 

Revelation  41  provides  that  "  my  servant,  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  shall  have  a  house  built  in  which  to 
live  and  translate."  Sidney  was  left  unprovided 
for,  but  "  should  live  as  seemeth  him  good." 
Many  of  the  revelations  of  this  period  are  promul- 
gated chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  binding  the  faith- 


FURTHER    BEVELATIGXX.  119 

ful  into  more  complete  subjection  to  the  priestly 
power  of  these  two  men.  And  the  plan  was  most 
wonderfully  successful.  Thus,  daily  and  contin- 
ually, in  less  than  two  years  from  the  organization 
of  that  band,  in  charming  irony  miscalled  a  church, 
was  being  built  up  that  terrible  and  gigantic  des- 
potism, which  to-day  rules  in  Utah,  and  holds  in 
abject  servitude  the  bodies  and  souls  of  more  than 
a  hundred  thousand  human  beings. 

One  revelation,  enumerating  the  duties  of  the 
brethren  toward  each  other  and  the  Church,  pre- 
scribes that  « <  if  thou  obtainest  more  than  that 
which  would  be  for  thy  support,  thou  shalt  give  it 
unto  my  store-house."  No  getting  rich  allowed ; 
no  provision  for  a  rainy  day,  even ;  all  beyond 
what  is  needed  for  present  support  is  to  go  to  the 
Lord's  store-house.  And  this  is  the  beginning  of 
that  stupendous  tithing  system,  which,  in  Kirtland, 
in  Missouri,  in  Illinois,  and  since  in  Utah,  has 
ground  from  the  property  and  labor  of  the  faithful, 
the  millions  of  treasure  which  have  for  half  a  century 
been  lavished  upon  unfinished  temples,  and  in 
pampering  scores  of  priest  ty  leaders. 

A  revelation,  dated  March  7,  1831,  looks  toward 
the  building  of  Zion  in  Western  Missouri,  though 
the  exact  location  is  not  specified  ;  notwithstanding 
a  former  one^liad  located  it  at  Kirtland,  and  a 


120  THE    PEOPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

temple  was  already  in  process  of  erection  there. 
Section  12  says  : 

"  Wherefore,  I,  the  Lord,  have  said,  gather  ye 
out  from  the  Eastern  lands,  assemble  ye  yourselves 
together,  ye  elders  of  my  Church ;  go  ye  forth  into 
the  Western  countries,  .  .  .  gather  up  your 
riches  that  ye  may  purchase  an  inheritance  which 
shall  hereafter  be  appointed  unto  you,  and  it  shall 
be  called  the  New  Jerusalem,  a  place  of  safety,  a 
city  of  refuge,  for  the  Saints  of  the  most  high  God  ; 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  there,  inasmuch, 
that  the  wicked  will  not  come  into  it ;  and  it  shall 
be  called  Zion.  And  there  shall  be  gathered  into 
it  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven, "etc.,  etc. 

The  projection  of  every  temple — the  first  in  Ohio, 
more  than  one  in  Missouri,  that  at  Nauvoo,  and  the 
present  rising  one  at  Salt  Lake — has  been  preceded 
by  a  revelation  commanding  it,  and  making  for  it 
similar  promises  to  the  foregoing.  The  firmest  and 
most  faithful  believers  in  Smith's  divine  mission 
can  scarcely  affirm  that  any  one  of  these  prophecies 
has  ever  been  fulfilled. 


STAKE    PLANTING.  121 


CHAPTER  XII. 

STAKE    PLANTING. 

TRANSLATION  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES — REASONS  FOR  IT — TRANSLA- 
TION SUSPENDED — THE  FIRST  HEGIRA — COWDERY'S  MIS- 
SION A  FAILURE — THE  STAKE  AT  KIRTLAND — ANOTHER  IN 
MISSOURI — EXPEDITION  THITHER — EZRA  BOOTH'S  SECES- 
SION— ZION  LOCATED — AN  ORGAN  ESTABLISHED — THE  EX- 
PULSION— A  CRUSADE  AND  ITS  TERMINATION. 

TRANSLATION  did  not  cease  with  the  publication 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  for  while  Sidney  was  so- 
journing with  the  prophet  in  New  York,  they  were 
employed  in  the  work  of  translating  the  New  and 
Old  Testaments.  Although  Rigdon  is  known  to 
have  assisted  in  this  work,  Number  One  always 
claimed  the  honor,  and  expected  the  emoluments 
thereof.  Its  title  is  : 

"  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES,  Translated  and  Cor- 
rected ~by  the  Spirit  of  Revelation,  by  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  the  Seer." 

The  reasons  given  in  the  preface  for  this  '  *  trans- 
lation," are  "that  many  plain  and  precious  parts" 
have  been  taken  away  trom  the  Bible  : 

"For  behold,  they  have  taken  away  from  the 
gospel  of  the  Lamb,  many  parts  which  are  plain 
and  most  precious;  and  also  many  covenants  of  the 
Lord  have  been  taken  away  ;  and  all  this  have  they 


122  THE    PJKOPIIET   OF  PALMYRA. 

done,  that  they  might  pervert  the  right  ways  of  the 
Lord ;  that  they  might  blind  the  eyes  and  harden 
the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men  ;  wherefore,  thou 
seest  that  after  the  book  hath  gone  forth  through 
the  hands  of  the  great  and  abominable  church,  that 
there  are  many  plain  and  precious  things  taken 
away  from  the  book,  which  is  the  book  of  the  Lamb 
of  God  ;  and  after  these  plain  and  precious  things 
were  taken  away,  it  goeth  forth  unto  all  the  nations 
of  the  Gentiles." — 1  Boole  of  Nephi^  iii.  40 — Book 
of  Mormon. 

We  copy  from  the  Piano  edition,  of  1867,  issued 
and  owned  by  Joseph  Smith,  I.  L.  Rogers,  and 
Ebenezer  Robinson,  Publishing  Committee  of  the 
Reconstructed  Church.  The  preface  states  that 
6 « this  work  is  given  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-Day  Saints,  and  to  the  public,  in  pur- 
suance of  the  commandment  of  God ; "  that  the 
manuscripts,  at  the  prophet's  death  in  1844,  "  were 
left  in  the  hands  of  his  widow,  where  they  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1866,"  when  they  were  delivered 
to  the  parties  above-named,  "and  are  now  pre- 
sented as  they  came  into  our  hands."  This  work 
is  claimed  to  have  been  done  in  fulfilment  of  a 
revelation  given  to  Joseph  Smith  in  June,  1830, 
from  which  the  following  is  an  extract.  The  Lord, 
in  a  long  address  to  Moses,  in  his  day,  concludes : 

4 'And  now,  Moses,  my  son,  I  will  speak  unto 
you,  concerning  this  earth  upon  which  you  stand  ; 
and  you  shall  write  the  things  which  I  shall  speak. 
And  in  a  day  when  the  children  of  men  shall  esteem 


STAKE    PLANTING.  !23 

my  words  as  naught,  and  take  many  of  them  from 
the  book  which  you  shall  write,  behold  I  will  raise 
up  another  like  unto  you,  and  they  shall  be  had 
again  among  the  children  of  men,  among  even  as 
many  as  shall  believe. 

"  These  words  were  spoken  unto  Moses  in  the 
mount,  the  name  of  which  shall,  not  be  known 
among  the  children  of  men,  and  now  they  are 
spoken  unto  you.  Amen." 

And  this  is  the  authority  for  Joseph  Smith's 
translation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures — translation  and 
"  correction."  Wherever  the  original  is  wrong,  it 
is  presumed  he  corrected  it.  But  translated  from 
what  ?  From  the  original  Hebrew  and  Greek  in 
which  they  were  written  ?  No  ;  but  from  the  plain 
English  version  of  King  James's  translators  which 
was  common  in  our  prophet's  time,  amf  which  any 
sensible  school-boy  could  "  translate  "  as  well.  The 
fact  is,  there  is  no  translation  about  it,  but  it  is  a 
mere  copying,  with  here  and  there  a  change  to  suit 
Rigdon's  notions  of  theology. 

This  translation  is  evidently  a'  suggestion  of 
Rigdon's.  But  on  December  30, 1830,  a  revelation 
was  announced,  suspending  the  work  "until  ye 
shall  go  to  the  Ohio  ;  "  and  after  strengthening  up  the 
churches,  "  especially  in  Colesville,"  they  were  to 
go  to  meet  Cowdery  on  his  return  from  the  La- 
manites. 

So,  about  January  1,  1831,  Rigdon  returned  to 
his  home,  and  the  prophet  soon  followed.  The  saints 


124  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

in  New  York  were  ordered  by  revelation  to  follow, 
which  they  did ;  and  this  date  may  be  regarded  as 
the  first  Mormon  Hegira.  As  was  to  be  expected, 
Rigdon's  conversion  to  the  new  faith  caused  much 
excitement  in  the  community  and  regret  among  his 
old  Campbellite  friends ;  and  much  controversy 
ensued.  Subsequent  Mormon  publications  show 
that  from  a  friend  he  became  an  implacable  enemy, 
and  that  he  ever  afterwards  manifested  a  vindictive 
spirit  toward  them. 

Meanwhile  Cowdery  and  his  associates  had  found 
their  way  to  the  Missouri  border ;  but  on  attempt- 
ing to  cross  the  line  of  the  State  into  the  Indian 
Territory,  now  Kansas,  were  stopped  by  Indian 
agents,  under  the  law  to  prevent  the  whites  from 
trespassing  there.  Our  missionaries  then  returned 
to  Independence,  and  remained  during  the  winter. 
And  the  Lamanites  have  been  without  the  gospel 
of  Nephi  unto  this  day. 

Most  of  the  believers  in  New  York  and  other 
places  east,  had,  according  to  command,  followed 
or  preceded  Smith  and  Rigdon  to  Kirtland — some 
of  them  to  be  very  much  disappointed  at  the  state 
of  affairs  there.  The  return  of  one  of  Cowdery's 
associates,  giving  a  glowing  account  of  the  richness 
and  cheapness  of  the  Missouri  lands,  gave  a  new 
turn  to  affairs,  and  it  was  determined  to  plant  a 
colony  there  at  an  early  day.  Most  of  the  disaf- 


STAKE    PLAXTlXti.  125 

fected,  accompanied  by  influential,  faithful  ones, 
were  selected  for  that  purpose.  In  accordance  with 
this  determination,  a  revelation  was  soon  forth- 
coming. The  power  of  the  prophet  over  his  de- 
luded followers,  even  at  this  early  day,  is  strongly 
manifested  in  connection  with  this  revelation.  It 
is  dated  June,  1831,  and  designates  the  followers 
by  name,  two  by  two,  who  are  to  take  that  jour- 
ney of  a  thousand  miles,  which  many  of  them  would 
be  compelled  to,  and  did,  travel  on  foot.  We  give 
the  order  of  their  names,  as  stated  in  Piano  edition, 
page  167  : 

"  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Sidney  Rigdon,  Lyman 
Wight  and  John  Corrill,  John  Murdock  and  Hyrum 
Smith,  Thomas  B.  Marsh  and  Ezra  Thayre,  Isaac 
Morley  and  Ezra  Booth,  Edward  Partridge  and 
Martin  Harris  (these  last  two  were  to  go  with 
Joseph  and  Sidney),  David  Whitmer  and  Harvey 
Whitlock,  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  Orson  Pratt,  Solo- 
mon Hancock  and  Simeon  Carter,  Edson  Fuller 
and  Jacob  Scott,  Levi  Hancock  and  Zebedee  Col- 
trin,  Reynolds  Cahoon  and  Samuel  H.  Smith, 
Wheeler  Baldwin  and  William  Carter,  Newell 
Knight  and  Selah  J.  Griffin." 

Two  others  were  sent  eastward,  in  all  thirty  men 
— which  must  have  included  about  one-third  of  the 
whole  number  of  the  male  recruits.  They  were 
commanded  to  go  by  different  routes,  and  to  preach 
as  they  went,  depending  upon  the  people  on  the 
way  for  food  and  shelter.  How  many  of  these 


126  THE    PEOPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

ever  reached  their  destination  is  not  known  ;  though 
it  is  believed  most  of  them  did.  Many  were  after- 
wards actors  in  the  Missouri  and  Illinois  troubles, 
and  some  have  figured  since  conspicuously  in  Utah. 

Ezra  Booth,  one  of  the  above-named,  had  for- 
merly been  a  minister  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  was  one  of  the  number  to  take  his  staff  in  hand 
and  travel  all  the  way  to  Missouri  on  foot,  such 
was  his  new-found  zeal ;  and  having  been  a  preacher 
before,  he  stopped  and  preached  a  number  of  times 
in  the  four  States  through  which  he  passed.  This 
labor  somewhat  tempered  his  zeal,  however;  and 
he  afterwards  confessed  that  he  could  not  preach 
with  the  same  "  freedom"  he  had  done  before. 
Soon  after  reaching  his  journey's  end,  his  eyes 
were  opened  to  see  the  falsity  and  folly  of  the 
whole  thing,  and  he  left  them ;  apostalized,  thus 
subjecting  himself,  along  with  Cowdery,  Whitmer, 
Harris,  and  others,  soon  afterwards,  to  the  "  buf- 
fetings  of  the  Devil  for  a  thousand  years." 

Mr.  Booth's  account  of  his  experiences  in  Mis- 
souri, and  particularly  of  the  tedious  trip  thither, 
is  interesting,  and  was  published  in  a  Northern 
Ohio  paper.  We  find  it  also  in  Howe's  exposd. 
Great  things  had  been  promised  them  when  they 
should  reach  the  border-land,  among  others  that 
they  would  find  a  flourishing  church  there.  They 


STAKE    PLANTING.  127 

did  find  the  church,  says  Mr.  Booth,  consisting  of 
four  women  ! 

This  determination  to  maintain  two  Zions — one 
in  Kirtland  and  the  other  somewhere  on  the  border, 
in  proximity  to  the  Lamanites,  did  not  take  definite 
shape  until  after  the  arrival  of  the  leaders  of  the 
expedition.  Travelling  in  carriages,  and  being- 
well  equipped  for  the  journey,  these  leaders  ar- 
rived on  the  border  and  met  at  Independence  in 
July.  So  well  pleased  were  they  with  the  prospect 
and  the  appearance  of  the  country,  that  a  revela- 
tion, dated  in  Zion,  in  July  (section  57,  Piano 
edition),  was  obtained  at  once,  declaring: 

"  Hearken,  O  ye  elders  of  my  Church,  saith  the 
Lord  your  God,  who  have  assembled  yourselves 
together,  according  to  my  commandments,  in  this 
land  which  is  the  land  of  Missouri,  which  is  the 
land  which  I  have  appointed  and  consecrated  for 
the  gathering  of  the  saints  :  wherefore  this  is  the 
land  of  promise,  and  the  place  for  the  city  of  Zion. 
And  thus  saith  the  Lord  your  God,  if  you  will  re- 
ceive wisdom,  here  is  wisdom.  Behold  the  place 
which  is  now  called  Independence,  is  the  center 
place,  and  the  spot  for  the  temple  is  lying  west- 
ward upon  a  lot  which  is  not  far  from  the  court- 
house ;  wherefore  it  is  wisdom  that  the  land  should 
be  purchased  by  the  Saints  ;  and  also  every  tract 
lying  westward,  even  unto  the  line  running  directly 
between  Jew  and  Gentile.  And  also  every  tract 
bordering  by  the  prairies,  inasmuch  as  my  disciples 
are  enabled  to  buy  lands.  Behold  this  is  wisdom, 
tlut  they  may  obtain  it  for  an  everlasting  in- 
heritance. '' 


128  THE  PROPHET  OF  PA  LMYRA . 

The  "everlasting"  of  this  revelation  proved  to 
be  of  very  short  duration.  Early  in  August  the 
temple  lot  was  dedicated,  the  first  Missouri  con- 
ference was  held,  and  soon  afterwards  the  two 
leaders  returned  to  Ohio. 

AYhile  in  Missouri,  it  was  decided  to  establish  an 
organ  at  that  place,  and  W.  W.  Phelps,  who  had 
been  previously  designated  by  revelation,  was  in- 
stalled as  editor,  assisted  by  Oliver  Cowdery.  Ac- 
cordingly the  publication  of  The  Morning  and 
Evening  Star  was  begun.  Mr.  Phelps  was  an 
enthusiast  and  something  of  a  "  crank";  a  fair 
writer,  but  unstable  and  unreliable  in  his  conduct, 
and  at  times  caused  considerable  trouble  among  the 
brethren.  He  went  with  the  sect  to  Illinois,  and 
afterwards  to  Salt  Lake,  where  he  died,  aged 
eighty  years,  in  1872. 

Before  leaving  Independence  for  Kirtland,  the 
prophet  and  his  co-laborer  obtained  a  revelation 
for  the  guidance  of  the  brethren  in  their  absence. 
If  any  reader  of  these  pages  has  believed  that  the 
despotism  of  to-day  in  Utah  transcends  that  exer- 
cised by  these  two  leaders  in  Missouri,  in  this  sec- 
ond year  of  Mormonism,  we  refer  him  to  this 
revelation,  given  August,  1831,  and  some  others 
which  follow. 

This  division  of  the  force  into  two  Zions  a  thou- 
sand miles  apart,  proved  to  be  a  source  of  trouble 


STAKE    PLANTING.  129 

to  the  leaders.  They  could  not  be  present  at  each, 
to  guide  and  hold  in  check  the  followers  whose  am- 
bition led  them  to  be  unruly.  Martin  Harris, 
whose  money  had  insured  the  printing  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  chafed  under  the  indignities  that  were 
constantly  heaped  upon  him  ;  Oliver  Cowdery  and 
David  Whitmer,  the  two  other  members  of  the  trio 
of  testifiers  to  the  divine  origin  of  the  Boole  of 

O  «/ 

Mormon,  left  without  official  superiors  in  Missouri, 
also  transgressed  "in  some  way  the  behests  of  the 
prophet,  and  were  anathematized.  The  same  fate 
befel  several  others.  Some  of  these  subsequently 
relented  and  returned.  Harris  is  believed  to  have 
been  one  of  the  latter,  and  to  have  died  in  the  faith. 
Cowdery  removed  to  Tiffin,  Ohio,  and  settled  in 
the  practice  of  law,  and  became  a  prominent  Demo- 
cratic politician.  He  died  in  Missouri,  as  is  claimed 
by  Mormon  authority,  while  on  his  way  to  Salt 
Lake,  to  again  unite  his  fortune  with  the  sect  he 
had  for  so  many  years  deserted.  Whitmer  was 
still  living  in  1887,  near  the  deserted  Missouri 
Zion,  but  occupying  in  his  old  age  an  anomalous 
position  :  that  of  maintaining  the  correctness  of  his 
early  testimony,  while  holding  himself  aloof  from 
the  sect,  and  characterizing  the  prophet  and  his 
vicegerent  as  bad  men,  and  organizers  of  the 
"  Danite  Band,"  or  "  Destroying  Angels." 

The  years   1832,  1833,  and   1834,  were  periods 


130  THE   PEOPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 

of  great  activity,  much  strife,  and  some  apostasy, 
in  each  of  the  two  Zions,  and  the  two  leaders  were 
kept  busy  in  controlling  the  discordant  elements. 
The  Stake  at  Independence  grew  amazingly ;  lands 
and  town-lots  were  taken,  improved,  and  built  upon. 
But  there,  as  everywhere  else,  before  and  since, 
the  presence  of  these  people  was  obnoxious  to  their 
neighbors,  and  discontent  and  quarrels  arose,  and 
finally  resulted  in  open  violence.  On  the  20th  of 
July,  1833,  a  mob  assembled  and  destroyed  the 
office  of  the  Star  newspaper,  and  maltreated  its 
editor,  and  others  of  the  brethren.  Soon  after- 
wards a  public  meeting  of  citizens  was  held,  and 
an  order  passed  that  the  Mormons  should  leave 
Jackson  County.  Governor  Dunklin  was  appealed 
to  for  protection,  but  he  declined  to  interfere,  and 
in  November  a  battle  took  place,  and  the  result 
was  that  the  Mormons  were  compelled  to  leave, 
and  the  majority  of  them  took  refuge  in  adjoining 
counties.  Why  it  is  that  these  people  have  always 
excited  hostility  against  them,  in  every  one  of  the 
five  or  six  communities  in  which  they  have  at- 
tempted to  build  their  Zion,  is  a  problem  the  writer 
will  not  stop  here  to  discuss — preferring  to  state 
the  facts,  and  leave  the  reader  to  solve  the  ques- 
tion in  his  own  way. 

In  due  time  the  Star  was  revived  under  the  title 


STAKE    PLAXTIXG.  131 

of  The  Latter-Dcnj  Saints'  Messenger  and  Advocate, 
but  located  at  Kirtland. 

These  Jackson  County  troubles  and  the  expul- 
sion of  the  brethren,  caused  great  excitement  among 
them  everywhere.  At  headquarters  in  Kirtland, 
the  wild  project  was  entertained  to  organize  an 
armed  force,  raid  Jackson  County,  and  compel 
the  ' '  Border  Ruffians  "  to  restore  the  refugees  to 
their  homes  and  their  inheritances.  Accordingly 
a  revelation  came,  dated  February,  1834,  com- 
manding BAUEAK  ALE*  to  organize  the  brethren 
11  to  go  up  to  Zion  by  tens,  or  by  twenties,  or  by 
fifties,  or  by  an  hundred,  until  they  have  obtained 
to  the  number  of  five  hundred  of  the  strength  of 
my  house."  But  if  they  cannot  get  five  hundred, 
"  peradventure  you  may  obtain  three  hundred;" 
and  if  not  three  hundred,  then  one  hundred — "  but 
a  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  you  shall 
not  go  up  unto  the  land  of  Zion,  until  you  have 
obtained  one  hundred  of  the  strength  of  my  house, 
to  go  up  with  you  unto  the  land  of  Zion." 

So,  in  obedience  to  command  and  to  promise  that 
Zion  should  be  restored,  on  the  7th  of  May,  this 
company  of  armed  crusaders,  numbering  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  men,  set  out  from  Kirtland  on  this 
march  of  a  thousand  miles.  In  about  forty  days, 

*  JBaurak  Ale  seems  to  have  been  a  name  substituted  for 
Joseph  Smith,  as  he  commanded  the  expedition. 


132  THE    PHOPHET    OF    PALMY11A. 

travel  they  reached  Clay  County,  where  some  of 
their  friends  had  taken  refuge,  with  a  force  in- 
creased to  over  two  hundred  men.  A  company  of 
the  enemy,  advised  of  their  approach,  had  been  col- 
lected, and  were  in  camp  ready  to  meet  them.  But 
Providence  interfered  to  prevent  carnage.  A  violent 
storm  arose  and  broke  up  the  camp  of  the  Mis- 
sourians,  who  retired  to  their  homes ;  and  a  few 
days  afterwards  the  cholera  broke  out  in  Baurak 
Ale's  camp  with  great  virulence,  and  in  a  week 
near  one-third  of  the  number  were  dead  or  dying. 
And  thus  terminated  the  expedition,  which  set  out 
at  great  sacrifice  and  under  high  hopes  and  promises 
of  divine  aid. 

And  in  a  short  time  Joseph  and  Sidney,  with  a 
portion  of  their  followers,  returned  to  Kirtland. 


ANTI-BANKING    BANK.  133 


CHAPTER 

AN   ANTI-BANKING   BANK. 

RIGDON  PRESIDENT  AND  SMITH  CASHIER — NOTES  ISSUED— No 
REDEMPTION  —  PITTSBURGH  BANKERS — BANK  BREAKS — 
FLIGHT  OF  ITS  OFFICERS — THE  KIRTLAND  STAKE  ABAN- 
DONED. 

IN  1836  a  company  was  organized  at  Kirtland, 
called  the  "  Kirtland  Safety  Society,"  the  purpose 
of  which  was  not  well  defined.  But  in  January  of 
the  following  year  a  meeting  was  held,  and  the  old 
constitution  annulled,  and  new  articles  of  agreement 
entered  into.  The  title  of  the  company  was  now 
changed  to  * '  Kirtland  Safety  Society  Anti-Banking 
Company."  Its  purpose  was  stated  to  be  : 

"  .  .  for  the  promotion  of  our  temporal  in- 
terests, and  for  the  better  management  of  our  differ- 
ent occupations,  which  consist  in  agriculture,  me- 
chanical arts  and  merchandising." 

Its  officers  were  a  board  of  thirty-two  managers, 
a  treasurer,  and  a  secretary.  The  capital  stock  was 
declared  to  be  "not  less"  than  four  millions  of 
dollars,  divided  into  shares  of  fifty  dollars  each. 
The  pay  of  the  managers  was  fixed  at  one  dollar 
per  day,  while  actually  employed,  and  of  the  other 
two  officers  such  sum  as  the  managers  should  decide. 
A  dividend  was  to  be  declared  every  six  months  by 


134  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

the  treasurer.  First  instalments  were  to  be  paid  at 
time  of  subscribing,  and  future  instalments  from 
time  to  time,  as  called  by  the  managers,  after  thirty 
days'  notice  ;  but  all  subscribers  residing  out  of  the 
State  were  required  to  pay  fifty  per  cent,  of  sub- 
scriptions in  advance.  The  following  characteristic 
notice  given  by  the  prophet  is  important,  as  show- 
ing the  purpose  of  the  organization  : 

4 « In  connexion  with  the  above  articles  of  agree- 
ment, of  the  Kirtland  Safety  Society,  I  beg  leave  to 
make  a  few  remarks  to  all  those  who  are  preparing 
themselves,  and  appointing  their  wise  men,  for  the 
purpose  of  building  up  Zion  and  her  Stakes.  It  is 
wisdom,  and  according  to  the  mind  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  that  you  should  call  at  Kirtland,  and  re- 
ceive counsel  and  instruction  upon  those  principles 
that  are  necessary  to  further  the  great  work  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  establish  the  children  of  the  Kingdom, 
according  to  the  oracles  of  God,  as  they  are  had 
among  us.  And,  further,  we  invite  the  brethren 
from  abroad  to  call  on  us,  and  take  stock  in  our 
Safety  Society.  .  .  ." — Messenger  and  Advocate, 
January,  1837. 

Yet  the  purpose  seems  to  have  been  changed  two 
months  later ;  for  in  the  March  issue  of  the  Advo- 
cate we  find  the  articles  of  agreement  republished 
under  the  title  of  < «  Kirtland  Safety  Society  Bank- 
ing Company,"  with  "  managers"  changed  to  "  di- 
rectors," and  "treasurer  and  secretary"  changed  to 
"  president  and  cashier."  To  these  articles  are 
signed  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  names,  among 
them  Smith  and  Rigdon,  the  father  and  mother  of 


AN   ANTI-BACKING    BANK.  135 

the  former  and  the  wife  of  the  latter.  The  amount 
of  stock  taken  does  not  appear  :  but  the  "  Kirtland 
Safety  Society  Bank"  was  established,  with  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  as  cashier,  and  Sidney  Eigdon,  presi- 
dent, on  how  safe  a  basis  will  appear  from  what 
followed.  In  the  July  issue  of  the  Advocate  is  a 
long,  twelve-column  editorial  announcing  the  dis- 
aster of  its  failure,  and  throwing  the  blame  upon 
the  outside  world  and  the  enemies  of  the  Saints. 
But  the  coolest  publication,  perhaps,  ever  made  by 
an  officer  of  a  bank,  since  the  world  began,  is  the 
following,  which  we  copy  from  the  August  number 
of  the  Messenger  and  Advocate: 

6 '  CATJTIOX — To  the  brethren  and  friends  of  the 
Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  I  am  disposed  to  say 
a  word  relative  to  the  bills  of  the  Kirtland  Safety 
Society  Bank.  I  hereby  warn  them  to  beware  of 
speculators,  renegades  and  gamblers,  who  are 
duping  the  unsuspecting  and  the  unwary,  by  palm- 
ing upon  them,  those  bills,  which  are  of  no  worth, 
here.  I  discountenance  and  disapprove  of  any  and 
all  such  practices.  I  know  them  to  be  detrimental 
to  the  best  interests  of  Society,  as  well  as  to  the 
principles  of  religion. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Jun." 

Of  course,  such  a  bank  was  bound  to  fail.  But 
for  a  time  its  handsomely  executed  notes  circulated 
freely  among  the  members  of  the  company  ;  and  as 
the  prophet  and  his  chief  counsellor  were  its  execu- 
tive officers,  and  the  bishops,  priests,  and  elders  in 
and  about  Kirtland  were  all  stockholders,  the  notes 


136  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

gained  a  considerable  circulation  abroad,  among 
converts  to  the  faith,  and  to  some  extent  with  the 
Gentile  community.  Some  thousands  of  them,  in 
due  course  of  business,  came  into  possession  of 
Pittsburgh  bankers  ;  and  as  these  had  reason  to  be 
distrustful  of  the  condition  of  a  moneyed  institution 
run  by  prophecy,  an  agent  was  sent  to  Kirtland 
with  .a  package  of  these  notes  for  redemption. 
Arriving  there,  he  was  coolly  informed  by  President 
Eigdon  that  he  was  an  enemy,  a  wolf  in  sheep's 
clothing,  that  the  bank  redeemed  nothing,  that  the 
notes  were  put  out  to  afford  a  circulating  medium 
for  the  people,  and  that  the  Pittsburgh  bankers  had 
not  been  asked  to  take  them.  The  agent  returned 
home  a  wiser  man. 

All  confidence  in  the  bank  being  destroyed,  much 
suffering  and  loss  resulted,  chiefly  among  the 
brethren  themselves.  Many  new  converts  from 
abroad,  having  been  called  in  by  the  prophet  to 
"  receive  counsel,"  had  taken  stock  and  paid  fifty 
per  cent,  on  it,  which  was  sunk.  Great  excitement 
grew  out  of  these  transactions.  Legal  proceedings 
were  being  instituted  ;  and  under  cover  of  darkness, 
on  the  night  of  January  12,  1838,  the  prophet  and 
his  chief  counsellor,  cashier  and  president  of  the  bank, 
left  Kirtland  in  great  haste  (not  for  Canada),  never 
to  return,  pursued,  but  not  overtaken,  by  officers, 
"  mobocrats,"  as  they  were  termed  by  the  refugees. 


X  ANTI-BANKING  BANK.  13 


If  honesty  and  fair  dealing,  and  redemption  of 
notes  when  presented,  are  the  proper  attributes  of 
legitimate  banking,  then  the  title  of  "  Anti-Banking 
Bank,"  as  first  given  this  institution,  would  seem  to 
have  been  a  very  proper  one. 

And  the  "  stake  "at  Kirtland  was  henceforth 
abandoned,  never  to  be  resumed  during  the  lifetime 
of  the  prophet.  The  title  to  the  Temple  has  since, 
however,  been  acquired  by  the  "  Reconstructed  " 
branch  of  the  sect,  and  still  remains  in  their  hands. 


138  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALM  YEA. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

FURTHER   STAKE    PLANTING — APOSTASY  AND  PUNISH- 
MENT. 

ODAM-ONDI-AHMON  —  FAR  WEST  —  AND  OTHERS  —  APOSTASY 
SHOWS  ITS  HEAD — ITS  PUNISHMENT — THE  DANITES — WAR 
AND  VIOLENCE — MOBS  AND  BANISHMENT. 

THE  flight  of  the  two  leaders  from  Kirtland  was 
a  disaster  to  that  stake  from  which  it  never  re- 
covered. It  was  now  determined  to  locate  a  new 
Zion  in  Missouri,  not  in  Jackson  County,  but  at  a 
place  called  Spring  Hill,  on  Grand  .River.  To  this 
the  followers  were  called,  and,  as  on  other  oc- 
casions, they  obeyed ;  those  still  located  at  Kirt- 
land, deserting  their  unfinished  temple,  left  and 
wended  their  way  to  the  border-land.  Smith  and 
Eigdon  were  there  before  them ;  so  was  also 
Brigham  Young — he  having  left  in  haste  a  few  days 
before  his  chiefs.  Many  of  the  refugees  from  Jack- 
son had  settled  in  Clay  County,  and  had  for  three 
or  four  years  been  permitted  to  occupy  the  ground 
in  comparative  peace. 

This  Spring  Hill  settlement  was  re-named  Odam- 
Ondi-Ahmon  by  revelation ;  and  here  the  faithful 
began  to  settle  in  great  numbers.  The  place  was 


FURTHER    STAKE    PLANTING.  139 

in  Daviess  County,  and  about  twenty  miles  from 
Far  West,  the  county  seat  of  Cal dwell.  Far  West 
and  considerable  of  Caldwell  were  also  taken  pos- 
session of  by  them.  But  trouble  was  in  store  for 
the  chiefs.  During  their  absence  at  Kirtland,  apos- 
tasy had  dared  to  raise  its  head  in  more  than  one 
of  the  border  camps ;  and  to  meet  and  subdue  this 
insubordination  caused  them  almost  as  great  trouble 
as  did  the  "  border  ruffian  "  element  by  which  they 
were  surrounded.  To  meet  the  case,  and  to  bring 
the  discontents  to  subjection,  a  secret  band,  first 
called  the  "Daughters  of  Zion,"  then  the  "De- 
stroying Angels,"  and  afterwards  known  as  the 
"  Danite  Band,"  was  instituted.  That  organiza- 
tion was  under  the  control  of  Smith  and  Eigdon, 
and  was  in  existence  through  the  remainder  of  their 
sojourn  in  Missouri,  and  in  Illinois,  and  has  since 
been  an  active  agent  for  Brigham  Young  in  Utah. 
The  Mormons  have  always  denied  the  existence  of 
such  a  band ;  treating  the  charge  as  a  fabrication 
of  the  enemy.  Many  writers,  and  perhaps  a  large 
portion  of  the  reading  public,  have  had  doubts 
concerning  it;  but  the  fact  is  as  susceptible  of 
proof  as  any  other  dependent  on  human  testimony. 
We  have  already  quoted  in  a  previous  chapter 
the  statement  lately  made  by  the  venerable  David 
Whitmer.  What  follows  is  strongly  confirmatory 
of  his  story — given  at  far  distant  periods  and  under 


140  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

different  circumstances.  In  1841,  after  the  settle- 
ment at  Nauvoo,  William  Harris,  a  dissenter,  is- 
sued at  Warsaw,  Illinois,  a  pamphlet  entitled, 
Mormonism  Portrayed,  from  which  is  cut  the  fol- 
lowing extract : 

"  Shortly  after  this  the  Danite  Society  was  or- 
ganized, the  object  of  which  at  first  was  to  drive 
the  dissenters  out  of  the  county.  The  members  of 
this  society  were  bound  together  by  an  oath  and 
covenant,  with  the  penalty  of  death  attached  to  a 
breach,  to  defend  the  Presidency  and  each  other, 
unto  death — right  or  wrong.  They  had  their  secret 
signs,  by  which  they  knew  each  other,  either  by 
day  or  night ;  and  were  divided  into  bands  of  tens 
and  fifties,  with  a  captain  over  each  band,  and  a 
general  over  the  whole.  After  this  body  was 
formed,  notice  was  given  to  several  of  the  dis- 
senters to  leave  the  county,  and  they  were  threat- 
ened severely  in  case  of  disobedience.  The  effect 
of  this  was,  that  many  of  the  dissenters  left — 
amongst  these  were  David  Whitmer,  John  Whit- 
mer,  Hiram  Page,  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  all  wit- 
nesses to  the  Book  of  Mormon;  also  Lyman  John- 
son, one  of  the  twelve  apostles.  The  day  after 
John  Whitmer  left  his  house  in  Far  West,  it  was 
taken  possession  of  by  Sidney  Eigdon.  About 
this  time  Rigdon  preached  his  famous  «  Salt  Ser- 
mon.' The  text  was,  *  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the 
earth,  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  its  savour,  where- 
with shall  it  be  salted?  it  is  thenceforth  good  for 
nothing,  but  to  be  cast  out,  and  be  trodden  under 
foot  of  men.'  He  informed  the  Mormons  that  the 
church  was  the  salt ;  that  dissenters  were  the  salt 
that  had  lost  its  savor,  and  they  were  literally  to 
be  trodden  under  the  feet  of  the  church,  until  their 
bowels  should  be  gushed  out." 


FURTHER    STAKE    PLANTING.  HI 

*ti 

The  testimony  taken  on  the  trial  of  Smith  and 
others  for  high  treason,  before  the  Judge  of  the 
Fifth  Judicial  Circuit  Court  of  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri, was  subsequently  published  by  order  of  the 
United  States  Senate.  In  it  we  find  the  testimony 
of  Dr.  Sampson  Avard,  who  claimed  to  be  an  officer 
and  influential  member  of  the  Danite  band.  Sworn 
and  examined  for  the  State,  he  said : 

"That  about  four  months  since,  a  band,  called 
the  Daughters  of  Zion  (since  called  the  Danite 
Band)  was  formed  of  the  members  of  the  Mormon 
church,  the  original  object  of  which  was  to  drive 
from,  the  County  of  Caldwell  all  those  who  dissented 
from  the  Mormon  church  ;  in  which  they  succeeded 
admirably,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  those  con- 
cerned. I  consider  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  as  the 
prime  mover  and  organizer  of  this  Danite  band. 
The  officers  of  the  band,  according  to  their  grades, 
were  brought  before  him  at  a  school-house,  to- 
gether with  Hyrum  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon ;  the 
three  composing  the  first  presidency  of  the  whole 
church.  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  blessed  them,  and 
prophesied  over  them  :  declaring  that  they  should 
be  the  means,  in  the  hands  of  God,  of  bringing  forth 
the  millennial  kingdom.  It  was  stated  by  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  that  it  was  necessary  this  band  should 
be  bound  together  by  a  covenant,  and  those  who 
revealed  the  secrets  of  the  society  should  be  put  to 
death.  The  covenant  taken  by  all  the  Danite  band 
was  as  follows,  to  wit :  They  declared,  holding  up 
their  right  hands,  '  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  Gods  I  do  solemnly  obligate  myself  ever 
to  conceal,  and  never  to  reveal,  the  secret  purposes 
of  this  society,  called  the  Daughters  of  Zion. 
Should  I  ever  do  the  same,  I  hold  my  life  as  the 


142  THE    P&OPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

forfeiture.'  The  prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  to- 
gether with  his  two  counsellors  (Hyrum  Smith  and 
Sidney  Rigdon),  were  considered  the  supreme  head 
of  the  church  ;  and  the  Danite  band  feel  themselves 
as  much  bound  to  obey  them,  as  to  obey  the  Su- 
preme God." 

This  witness  further  states  that  in  June,  1838, 
Sidney  Rigdon  drew  up  a  paper  addressed  to  these 
five  dissenters,  warning  them  to  leave  the  county 
in  three  days,  and  threatening  them  with  swift 
punishment  if  they  disobeyed.  It  charged  them 
with  all  manner  of  meanness,  calling  them  con- 
sorters  with  counterfeiters,  thieves,  liars,  and 
black-legs ;  with  trying  to  cheat  the  Saints  out  of 
their  property,  and,  greatest  of  all,  with  disobe- 
dience. This  document  was  signed  by  eighty-four 
members.  The  warned  knew  what  such  threats 
meant,  and,  as  Whitmer  says,  they  "  fled  for  their 
lives  to  Clay  County." 

W.  W.  Phelps  also  testified  to  the  existence  of 
this  Danite  band  and  its  purposes. 

The  existence  of  such  an  organization  is  also 
testified  to  by  John  Hyde,  a  seceder  at  Salt  Lake 
City.  Hyde  was  for  a  long  time  an  active  and 
talented  elder  of  the  church  in  Missouri,  in  Illinois, 
and  in  Utah  ;  but  apostatizing,  wrote  a  work  on 
Mormonism.  In  his  book,  Mormonism,  Its  Lead- 
ers and  Designs,  he  states  that  in  Missouri  in  1838, 
"  a  death  society  "  was  formed,  under  the  direction 


FURTHER    STAKE    PLANTING.  143 

of  Sidney  Rigdon  ;  that  its  first  captain  was  known 
as  "Captain  Fearnaught"  (David  Patten,  one  of 
the  twelve  apostles),  and  that  its  purpose  was  "to 
punish  the  obnoxious." 

They  were  at  some  trouble  to  find  a  suitable 
name  for  such  an  association.  "  Zion  "  being  a 
term  ever  foremost  in  their  thoughts,  "  Daughers 
of  Zion  "  presented  itself — Micah,  iv.  13  : 

"  Arise  and  thresh,  O  daughter  of  Zion  :  for  I 
will  make  thy  horn  iron,  and  I  will  make  thy  hoofs 
brass  ;  and  thou  shalt  beat  in  pieces  many  people ; 
and  I  will  consecrate  their  gain  unto  the  Lord,  and 
their  substance  unto  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth." 

This  was  appropriate  except  as  to  sex,  and  the 
society  began  its  work  under  that  name.  It  was 
soon  dropped,  and  another  resort  to  the  Bible 
made ;  when,  "  lo,  and  behold,"  "  and  it  came  to 
pass,"  Genesis  xlix.  17,  supplied  a  title  quite  as 
significant,  and  more  to  their  liking  : 

"  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  by  the  way,  an  adder 
in  the  path,  that  biteth  the  horse's  heels,  so  that 
his  rider  shall  fall  backward." 

Elder  Hyde  continues : 

"  *  The  sons  of  Dan '  was  the  style  they  adopted, 
and  many  have  been  the  times  that  they  have  been 
adders  in  the  path,  and  MANY  A  MAN  HAS  FALLEN 

BACKWARD,  AND  HAS  BEEN  SEEN  NO  MORE  !  " 

Can  that  be  true?  Much  other  testimony,  and 
scores  of  corroborating  circumstances,  render  the 
conclusion  irresistible.  But  notwithstanding  the 


144  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

direct  charges  and  the  circumstantial  evidences, 
many  still  refused  to  believe ;  and  perhaps  to-day 
it  is  the  conviction  of  great  numbers  of  people, 
that  the  story  is  only  the  idle  invention  of  enemies 
and  persecutors.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  those 
apostatizing  Mormons  would  so  long  uphold  and 
sustain  a  system  so  monstrous,  until  the  day  of 
their  withdrawal,  and  then  loudly  denounce  it — 
knowing  that  they  were  thus  proclaiming  their  own 
dishonor. 

Brigham  Young,  more  daring  than  the  rest,  in 
one  of  his  characteristic  harangues,  quoted  in  the 
Deseret  Wews,  vol.  vii.,  page  143  (as  given  by 
Hyde) ,  said : 

* <  If  men  come  here  and  do  not  behave  them- 
selves, they  will  not  only  find  the  Danites,  whom 
they  talk  so  much  about,  biting  the  horse's  heels, 
but  the  scoundrels  will  find  something  biting  their 
heels.  In  my  plain  remarks,  I  merely  call  things 
by  their  own  names." 

Much  more  might  be  quoted  from  Brigham 
Young  and  many  others,  to  prove  the  existence  of 
this  band  of  cut-throats,  and  for  the  purposes 
named,  and  to  show  that  it  was  instituted  by  the 
heads  of  the  church  and  controlled  by  them,  but 
the  foregoing  is  sufficient. 

But  we  cannot  linger  over  these  constantly  re- 
curring dissensions  in  Missouri.  Ever  arrogantly 
claiming  to  be  the  Saints  of  God,  entitled  to  pos- 


FUETHEE    STAKE    PLANTING.  145 

sess  the  land,  and  crying  out  against  "persecu- 
tion," these  leaders  and  their  band  of  missionaries 
made  converts  everywhere  they  attempted  to  plant 
a  stake ;  at  the  same  time  making-  enemies  of  the 
great  majority  of  unbelievers.  In  addition  to  this, 
they  had  numbers  of  agents  abroad,  through  the 
States  and  in  Europe,  preaching  the  doctrines  of 
the  Xew  Dispensation  to  the  discontented,  the 
hopeful,  and  the  fanatical,  and  bidding  them  flee  to 
Zion  and  enjoy  its  benefits  and  partake  of  its  glories. 
They  planted  stakes  or  proclaimed  a  Zion  succes- 
sively in  Jackson  County,  in  Clay,  in  Caldwell,  in 
Ray,  in  Daviess,  in  Carroll — all  with  the  same  re- 
sult. The  power  of  the  State  was  frequently  ap- 
pealed to  for  protection  or  aid  by  one  party  or  the 
other;  until  at  length,  Governor  Lilburn  W. 
Boggs,  unable  or  unwilling  to  cope  with  the  diffi- 
culty, issued  an  order  expelling  them  from  the  State. 
In  the  early  part  of  the  autumn  of  1838,  the  last 
disturbance  occurred,  which  resulted  in  the  arrest 
and  imprisonment  of  the  two  leaders  and  several  of 
their  principal  adherents,  and  the  extermination  of 
most  of  the  remainder.  These  made  their  way 
across  the  State  to  Illinois,  in  very  inclement 
weather,  and  with  much  privation  and  suffering. 
Rigdon  was  set  at  liberty  by  Habeas  Corpus,*  and 

*  It  will  be  seen  hereafter,  that  these  writs  of  Habeas 
Corpus  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  Mormon  affairs  in  Illinois, 


146  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

after  some  months'  confinement,  Smith  made  his 
escape,  it  was  said,  by  the  connivance  of  the  sheriff 
who  had  him  in  charge,  the  authorities  probably 
deeming  this  the  easiest  way  of  disposing  of  a 
troublesome  case. 

That  Governor  Boggs's  order  of  banishment  was 
illegal  and  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  our  institutions — 
as  are  all  such,  whether  emanating  from  executives 
courts,  or  mobs — cannot  be  controverted.  Mr. 
William  Harris  adds,  and  with  this  extract  we  take 
leave  of  the  Mormon  difficulties  in  Northern  Mis- 
souri : 

"  Of  this  Missouri  war,  as  it  has  been  called,  a 
great  deal  has  been  said,  and  public  opinion  at  the 
time  generally  censured  the  conduct  of  Missouri. 
That  the  Missourians  carried  the  matter  too  far, 
and  treated  the  Mormons  with  an  unnecessary 
degree  of  cruelty,  in  many  instances,  there  can  be 
no  doubt ;  but  that  there  was  great  cause  of  aggra- 
vation, there  can  be  just  as  Tittle.  The  truth  is, 
that  while  the  Mormon  body,  as  a  church,  interferes 
with  the  pecuniary  and  political  acts  of  its  mem- 
bers— assuming  the  sole  direction  of  both — it  will 
be  impossible  for  them  to  live  in  peace  in  any  com- 
munity. The  necessary  consequence  of  their  re- 
garding the  words  of  Smith  as  the  words  of  the 
Lord,  is,  that  he  can  unite  them  whenever  it  may 
be  necessary  to  effect  his  purposes.  This,  prob- 
ably, would  produce  no  jealousy,  if  his  acts  were 
confined  to  ecclesiastical  government ;  but  when 
they  extend  to  controlling  the  political  and  pecun- 
iary interests  of  his  followers,  it  must  inevitably 
produce  distrust  and  enmity.  Such  a  community, 


STAKE   PLANTING.  147 

thus  united,  hold  the  rights  of  the  neighboring 
citizens  in  their  own  hands ;  and  in  every  contest 
they  must  coine  off  victors.  They  have  a  capacity 
for  secrecy,  which  enables  them  to  commit  any  act 
of  depredation,  without  the  fear  of  detection;  and 
when  a  crime  has  been  committed  by  one  of  them, 
they  are  so  united  to  each  others'  interests,  as  to 
render  it  almost  impossible,  through  a  legal  for- 
mula, to  obtain  a  conviction.  Is  it  any  wonder, 
then,  that  a  body  thus  controlled,  their  interests 
confined  within  themselves  and  inimical  in  nature 
to  that  of  the  other  citizens,  should  excite  jealousy? 
And  when  we  consider  the  materials  of  which  the 
church  is  made;  the  amount  of  ignorance,  bigotry, 
and  arrogance,  that  is  displayed  by  its  members  ; 
is  it  at  all  surprising  that  an  explosion  should  take 
place  between  them  and  those  by  whom  they  are 
surrounded?  Now,  even  admitting  that  the  Mor- 
mons were  honest,  yet,  taking  all  things  into  con- 
sideration, the  Missourians  acted  in  the  commence- 
ment of  the  difficulties,  as  would  almost  any  com- 
munity in  the  country.  I  do  not  justify  their 
mobs ;  on  the  contrary,  I  say  that  a  mob  is  in  no 
case  justifiable ;  but  I  do  say,  that  as  society  is 
now  constituted,  mobs  will  arise,  under  certain 
circumstances,  in  any  community.  Let,  then,  those 
who  have  regarded  the  Missourians  as  a  set  of  un- 
principled desperadoes,  because  of  their  conduct 
toward  the  Mormons,  bethink  them  that  the  same 
scenes,  under  the  same  circumstances,  would,  in 
all  probability,  have  been  enacted  in  their  own 
neighborhoods.  It  was  not  the  mere  religion  of 
the  Mormons  that  exasperated  the  Missourians  ;  it 
was  their  arrogance,  their  united  purpose  to  pro- 
tect each  other,  and  to  infringe  on  the  rights  of 
other  citizens ;  their  thefts  and  their  concealments 
of  each  others'  crimes  ;  these  were  all,  under  the 
circumstances,  injuries  without  legal  remedies  ;  and 


148  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

although  this  does  not  justify  a  mob,  yet  there  are 
few  communities  in  this  country,  that  would  not, 
if  placed  in  the  same  situation,  have  been  exas- 
perated to  violence." 


ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.    149 
CHAPTER  XV. 

ACROSS    THE    MISSISSIPPI    EASTWARD. 

EXODUS  FROM  MISSOURI  AND  FIRST  APPEARANCE  IN  ILLINOIS 
— THE  SITUATION. 

ONE  of  the  chief  purposes  of  this  work  is  to  give 
an  accurate  and  faithful  history  of  Mormonism,  as 
it  existed  during  a  period  of  about  eight  years  in 
the  State  of  Illinois.  Such  a  history,  the  writer 
believes,  has  never  been  written.  Governor  Ford, 
in  his  History  of  Illinois,  devotes  considerable 
space  to  this  era,  embracing  the  time  he  occupied 
the  executive  chair.  But  his  excellency,  like  the 
Governor  of  Missouri,  found  the  Mormon  problem 
too  hard  a  one  to  handle ;  and  his  work  must  be 
regarded  as  more  a  defense  of  his  administration 
during  the  Mormon  era,  than  an  impartial  history. 

The  writer  approaches  this  part  of  his  task  with 
more  confidence,  from  the  fact  that  before  and  dur- 
ing the  Mormon  sojourn,  he  was  a  citizen  of  the 
State,  and  intimately  acquainted  with  many  of  the 
events  as  they  transpired. 

Early  in  their  career,  claiming  more  than  common 
sanctity,  and  in  order  to  be  more  specially  distin- 
guished from  the  outside  world,  these  people  took 
upon  themselves  the  title  of  < '  Latter-Day  Saints  " ; 


150  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

and  thereafter,  in  their  estimation,  there  were  but 
two  classes  of  people  :  Saints  and  Gentiles.  Those 
who  accepted  the  Boole  of  Mormon  as  of  Divine 
origin,  and  regarded  Joseph  Smith  with  the  rever- 
ence due  to  a  "  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator,"  were 
counted  under  the  former  title ;  while  all  who  re- 
jected the  Boole  of  Mormon,  or  were  ignorant  of  its 
existence,  whether  Hebrew  or  Pagan,  Christian, 
Brahman,  or  Mussulman,  were  Gentiles. 

When  the  scattered  bands  of  these  Latter-Day 
Saints  first  crossed  the  Mississippi  from  Missouri 
into  Illinois,  in  the  winter  of  1838-9,  they  were 
poor  and  disheartened,  and  very  many  of  them 
were  objects  of  charity.  Without  money  or  suit- 
able means  of  conveyance,  poorly  clad,  and  many 
of  them  sick  or  infirm,  they  had  been  compelled,  in 
the  dead  of  winter,  to  leave  their  habitations  in  the 
northwest  portion  of  the  State,  and  make  their  way 
two  hundred  miles,  to  ask  for  shelter  in  a  com- 
munity of  strangers.  Their  troubles  there,  and  this 
violent  expulsion,  had  brought  them  into  notice. 
Their  stereotyped  cry  of  <  *  Persecution  for  Opin- 
ion's Sake,"  invented  years  before  by  their  saga- 
cious leaders,  and  ever  since  their  best  paying 
capital,  was  generally  believed  by  the  Illinois  peo- 
ple ;  and  when  they  crossed  over  the  Mississippi  at 
Quincy,  they  received  the  sympathies  of  the  entire 
population.  Public  meetings  were  held ;  resolu- 


ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.    151 

tions  denunciatory  of  the  "  border  ruffians  "  passed  ; 
money,  clothing,  and  provisions  were  voted  and 
donated,  and  such  other  material  aid  granted  as 
their  circumstances  seemed  to  require.  The  citizens 
of  Quincy  did  themselves  honor  in  their  treatment 
of  these  refugees.  And  afterwards,  when  they  began 
to  pass  along  up  into  Hancock  County,  adjoining, 
the  same  kindness  and  consideration  were  shown 
them.  Their  prophet,  with  several  of  his  chief 
advisers,  were  still  under  arrest  and  in  durance  at 
Liberty,  Mo.,  and  most  of  their  principal  men  were 
scattered  abroad ;  some  back  at  Kirtland,  others 
refuge'es  from  mob  wrath  in  different  directions, 
and  still  others  absent  as  missionaries  to  the  Gen- 
tile world. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  Mormon  people, 
when  they  first  became  known  to  the  people  of 
Hancock  County  and  adjoining  communities  in  the 
State  of  Illinois. 

At  the  period  mentioned,  the  whole  northwestern 
portion  of  the  State  of  Illinois  was  new  and  but 
sparsely  settled.  The  extensive  prairie  region  lying 
between  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  had 
been  but  recently  laid  off  into  counties,  and  organ- 
ized into  working  communities.  Here  and  there, 
in  every  county,  county  seats  and  other  towns  and 
villages  were  springing  up,  and  the  woody  margins 
of  the  broad  prairies  were  fast  filling  up  with  an 


152  THE    P&OFHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

enterprising,  intelligent,  and  generous  people,  from 
many  of  the  older  States  of  the  Union  ;  people  of 
all  shades  of  religious  opinion ;  people  whose  hab- 
itations were  mostly  log  cabins  and  other  wooden 
structures,  but  whose  doors  were  ever  open  to  the 
voice  of  the  stranger.  For  want  of  church  edifices, 
as  in  all  new  settlements,  these  different  sects  fre- 
quently occupied  the  same  building,  or  worshipped 
in  the  open  woods,  without  bickerings  or  strife ; 
and  it  is  safe  to  say,  that  no  communities  in  any 
part  of  the  country,  were  less  afflicted  with  religious 
bigotry  or  intolerance,  than  were  those  in  North- 
western Illinois. 

The  point  selected  by  the  Mormons  on  which  to 
locate  their  new  Zion,  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  salubrious  in  the  west.  It  lies  at  the 
head  of  the  Lower,  or  Des  Moines  Rapids  in  the 
Mississippi,  in  a  beautiful  curve  of  the  stream,  and 
overlooking  the  broad  river,  its  islands,  and  the 
Iowa  bluffs  and  prairies  beyond.  Opposite  to  it, 
and  embracing  a  third  of  Lee  County,  Iowa,  and 
extending  about  twenty  miles  along  the  river,  and 
back  to  the  Des  Moines,  from  its  mouth  northward, 
lies  what  was  then  known  as  the  "  Half-Breed  In- 
dian Reservation."  These  lands  had  recently  be* 
come  objects  of  speculation  and  litigation,  growing 
out  of  the  ill-advised  action  of  the  general  gov* 
ernment  regarding  them.  It  had  been  the  intention 


ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.    153 

of  the  prophet  to  locate  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  on  these  lands,  having  been  invited  thereto 
by  Dr.  Isaac  Galland,  who  held  some  interest  in 
the  titles.  He  had  called  Smith's  attention  to 
them,  while  the  latter  was  still  in  jail  at  Liberty  ; 
and  it  was  this  correspondence,  perhaps,  that  turned 
the  tide  of  Mormon  emigration  to  Hancock  County. 
But  after  the  chief's  arrival  among  his  followers, 
later,  the  project  of  settling  in  Iowa  was  abandoned, 
and  it  was  decided  to  plant  the  new  stake  where 
Nauvoo  now  stands,  in  Illinois. 

At  Jbhat  point  there  was  then  a  little  village  lo- 
cated on  the  shore,  called  Commerce,  containing 
perhaps  a  half-dozen  houses,  a  store,  and  a  post- 
office.  It  was  one  of  the  oldest  settled  portions  of 
the  county.  Just  below  was  the  farm  of  Hugh 
White,  and  just  east,  on  the  bluff,  was  that  of  Dan- 
iel H.  Wells,  later  the  noted  Adjutant-General  of 
Utah  fame.  These  farms,  with  much  other  land, 
were  soon  encroached  upon  and  absorbed  by  the 
growing  city,  whereupon  Wells  joined  the  church, 
became  rich  by  the  sale  of  his  lands,  was  ever  an 
active  and  violent  partisan,  and  finally  left  with 
them  for  the  wilderness.  In  Utah  he  has  ever  since 
stood  high  in  authority,  and  is  believed  to  be  still 
living  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  honors,  his  fortune — 
and  his  wives  ! — the  legal  wife  refusing  to  accompany 


154  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

him  because  he  would  not  agree  to  forego  llio 
pleasures  of  the  harem  in  the  new  home. 

Opposite  Commerce,  in  the  then  Territory  of 
Iowa,  stood  the  barracks  of  Fort  Des  Moines,  but 
just  vacated  by  the  United  States  Dragoons,  and 
at  the  time  occupied  by  a  few  settlers.  Here,  also, 
was  located  the  office  of  the  "  New  York  Half- 
Breed  Land  Company."  Twelve  miles  below,  at 
the  foot  of  the  rapids,  and  also  on  the  Half-Breed 
lands,  lay  the  village  of  Keokuk,  named  from  a 
stately  Indian  chief  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes,  wTho 
frequented  its  environs  with  his  dusky  followers. 
Fort  Madison,  twelve  miles  up  the  river,  had 
achieved  the  dignity  of  a  county  seat,  and  could 
count  two  or  three  hundred  souls. 

In  Hancock  County  (Illinois),  eighteen  mile? 
below  Commerce,  lay  Warsaw,  with  a  population 
of  about  three  hundred  ;  Carthage,  the  county  seat, 
in  the  centre  of  the  county,  and  on  a  broad  prairie , 
had  not  so  many;  Augusta,  St.  Mary's,  Plymouth, 
Fountain  Green,  La  Harpe,  Chili,  and  a  few  other 
villages,  had  been  laid  out  (chiefly  in  1836),  and 
containing  each  a  few  families,  were  located  in  the 
midst  of  young  and  fast-growing  settlements.  There 
was  no  newspaper  at  any  of  these  points,  the  near- 
est being  at  Quincy  and  at  Rushville,  the  county 
seats  of  Adams  and  Schuyler  Counties,  adjoining. 


ACROSS  THE  irTSHISSlPFI  EASTWARD.     156 

The  population  of  the  county  was  about  five  thou- 
sand, located  mainly  in  the  border  townships. 

Quincy,  where  the  refugees  had  first  reached  the 
State,  was  fifty  miles  down  the  river  from  Com- 
merce. It  was  a  thriving  town  of  fifteen  to 
eighteen  hundred  inhabitants,  with  two  newspapers 
and  a  United  States  land  office.  It  was  also  the 
residence  of  Hon.  Thomas  Carlin,  Governor  of  the 
State,  of  Judge  Eichard  M.  Young,  of  the  Fifth 
Judicial  District,  and  of  several  of  the  most  prom- 
inent lawyers. 

We  have  been  thus  particular  in  describing  the 
condition  of  the  people  and  county,  and  location  of 
its  most  important  places,  in  order  that  the  reader 
may  have  a  better  comprehension  of  the  events  to 
be  narrated  in  the  chapters  to  follow — events  which 
brought  trouble  and  disturbance  where  peace  had 
reigned,  and  finally  stained  the  rich  soil  of  the 
prairies  with  the  blood  of  the  prophet  and  his 
brother  and  many  of  its  other  citizens. 


156  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

IMMIGKATION    AND    SETTLEMENT. 

STATUS  IN  ILLINOIS — THE  NEW  CITY — MISSION  TO  WASHING- 
TON— GOVERNOR  LUCAS'S  LETTER  —  GREAT  CHURCH  CON- 
FERENCE— MISSION  TO  THE  JEWS  IN  EUROPE  AND  ASIA — 
CALL  TO  THE  FAITHFUL. 

SUCH  was  the  status  of  Hancock  County  (Illi- 
nois), and  its  people  and  neighborhood,  when  this 
Mormon  immigration  began  in  their  midst.  The 
rank  and  file  continued  to  stream  into  Quinc}^,  as  a 
crossing  place,  frofti  their  late  homes  in  Missouri, 
and  thence  into  the  near  communities,  during  the 
whole  spring  of  1839;  and  as  they  arrived,  they 
were  received  with  open  arms  by  the  inhabitants. 
And  as  the  spring  and  summer  of  that  year  passed, 
many  of  them  made  homes  wherever  there  was  an 
empty  house  in  the  city,  or  log  cabin  in  the  country, 
on  farm  or  in  village,  fit  to  receive  a  family.  They 
were  thus  soon  located  at  different  points  all  over 
Hancock,  and  to  some  extent  through  the  adjoin- 
ing counties  of  Pike,  Schuyler,  McDonough,  Hen- 
derson, and  Warren.  Their  heaviest  settlements 
in  Hancock,  after  Nauvoo,  were  at  La  Harpe,  Plym- 
outh, Macedonia,  Green  Plains,  and  Monte bello. 


IMMIGRATION  AND  SETTLEMENT,     isr 

Active  proselytism  was  immediately  commenced 
in  all  the  neighborhoods  about  home,  and  numer- 
ous missionaries  were  sent  abroad  to  preach.  Again 
the  call,  or  more  properly  the  command,  was  issued 
for  the  faithful  to  repair  to  Nauvoo,  to  aid  in  build- 
ing up  the  city.  Nor  was  the  requisite  revelation 
wanting  in  aid  of  the  new  location.  "Thus  sayeth 
the  Lord," — as  on  so  many  former  occasions — was 
again  sent  abroad,  and  again  it  was  answered  by 
an  immigration  greater  than  had  responded  to  it  on 
any  former  occasion. 

In  September,  1839,  the  city  of  NAUVOO  was 
laid  out  and  named,  its  legal  proprietors  being 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Hyrum  Smith, 
and  George  W.  Robinson.  Afterwards,  down  to 
May,  1843,  as  many  as  fifteen  additions  had  been 
made  to  it,  in  several  of  which  the  prophet  was  in- 
terested, always  with  an  eye  single  to  his  own  ad- 
vantage. 

The  name  "  NAUVOO"  was  said  by  its  projectors 
to  be  Hebrew  for  "  pleasant  land."  Whether  this 
be  true,  we  leave  for  linguists  to  determine,  but 
the  site  is  acknowledged  on  all  hands  to  be  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  and  beautiful  on  the  Mississippi 
River.  It  is  presumed,  however,  that  the  prophet 
knew  about  as  much  of  the  Hebrew  as  he  did  of 
the  " Reformed  Egyptian"  (whatever  that  may 


158  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

be) ,  the  language  in  which  the  message  was  written 
on  the  golden  plates. 

While  still  in  jail  in  Missouri,  the  prophet  had 
written  to  the  brethren  at  Commerce,  suggesting 
that  statistics  of  their  pecuniary  losses  in  that  State 
should  be  collected,  and  presented  to  the  United 
States  government,  in  order  to  enforce  future  pay- 
ment. It  soon  began  to  be  urged  in  all  the  Mor- 
mon settlements,  that  Missouri  was  bound  to  make 
full  restitution,  and  that  the  authorities  at  Wash- 
ington would  cause  this  to  be  done.  During  the 
autumn,  the  prophet,  with  Rigdon  and  Colonel 
Higbee,  two  of  his  chiefs,  repaired  to  Washington 
to  lay  the  matter  before  Congress  and  President 
Van  Buren.  They  carried  with  them  a  large  num- 
ber of  certificates,  reciting  these  individual  losses, 
made  out  and  sworn  to  in  due  form,  and  with  the 
official  seal  of  the  county  attached.  Hon.  John  T. 
Stuart,  of  Springfield,  Whig  member  of  Congress 
from  the  district,  was  given  charge  of  the  matter 
in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  Henry  Clay 
was  asked  to  lay  it  before  the  Senate.  They  also 
made  personal  application  to  the  President  and  to 
Senator  Calhoun.  The  latter  bluntly  informed 
them  that  the  general  government  had  no  authority 
in  the  premises,  and  thereby  evoked  their  lasting 
displeasure.  One  of  the  houses  made  a  special 
report,  citing  the  main  features  of  the  case,  and 


IMMIGRATION  AND   SETTLEMENT.       159 

declining  to  take  further  action ;  and  no  redress 
was  obtained,  either  through  the  action  of  Con- 
gress or  the  Executive.  The  chiefs  returned  to 
Nauvoo  highly  incensed  against  the  administration 
and  the  nation  in  general.  One  of  the  great  ob- 
jects sought  hacl  been  attained,  however — one  con- 
sidered of  great  importance  by  them — namely,  a 
national  notoriety. 

Hon.  Kobert  Lucas,  a  former  Governor  of  Ohio, 
was  at  this  time  Governor  of  the  Territory  of 
Iowa.  Previous  to  this  embassy  to  Washington, 
he  had  been  appealed  to  for  a  favorable  testimonial, 
and  he  responded  with  the  following  : 

"  IOWA  TERRITORY,  Jan.  4,  1840. 

"  SIR  : — You  informed  me  that  a  committee  of 
Mormons  are  about  to  apply  to  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  for  an  investigation  on  the  cause  of 
their  expulsion  from  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  to 
ask  of  the  general  government  remuneration  for 
the  losses  sustained  by  them  in  consequence  of  such 
expulsion,  and  ask  me  to  state  my  opinion  of  the 
character  and  general  conduct  of  those  who  have 
settled  in  the  Territory  of  Iowa,  since  their  ex- 
pulsion from  the  State  of  Missouri. 

"  In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  will  state  that 
I  have  had  but  little  personal  acquaintance  with 
them.  I  know  that  there  was  a  community  of  them 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  while 
I  resided  in  the  State  they  were  generally  consid- 
ered an  industrious,  inoffensive  people  ;  and  I  have 
no  recollection  of  ever  having  heard  in  that  State 
of  their  being  charged  with  violating  the  laws  of 
the  country. 


160  THE    PHOPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

"  Since  their  expulsion  from  Missouri,  ;i  portion 
of  them,  about  one  hundred  families,  have  settled 
in  Lee  County,  Iowa  Territory,  and  are  generally 
considered  industrious,  and  worthy  citizens. 
"  Very  respectfully,  yours, 

"  ROBERT  LUCAS, 

"  Gov.  of  Iowa  Ter. 
"To  A.  Kipley." 

It  is  clear  that  Governor  Lucas  had  not  resided 
in  the  northern  section  of  Ohio. 

A  great  conference  of  the  church  was  held  at 
Nauvoo  on  the  6th  of  April,  1840,  lasting  three 
days,  at  which,  it  was  said,  there  were  several  thou- 
sand persons  present.  Elated  with  the  prospect 
before  them,  the  members  from  far  and  near  flocked 
to  this  annual  church  gathering ;  while  many  of 
the  Gentile  neighbors  also  attended  through  a 
curiosity  to  see  and  know  of  what  stuff  the  prophet 
and  his  chiefs  and  followers  were  made.  At  this 
meeting,  a  large  number  of  missionary  appoint- 
ments were  made  ;  among  these,  Elders  Orson  Hyde 
and  John  E.  Page  were  commissioned  to  visit  the 
Jews  in  Europe  and  at  Constantinople  and  Jerusa- 
lem. An  official  greeting  was  made  out  and  signed 
by  President  Smith  and  the  clerk,  which  recites 
that: 

"  We  have  by  the  counsel  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ap- 
pointed Elder  Orson  Hyde  [Page  was  added  after- 
wards], the  bearer  of  these  presents,  a  faithful  and 
worthy  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  our  agent 
and  representative  in  foreign  lands,  to  visit  the 


IMMIGRATION    AND    SETTLEMENT.      161 

cities  of  London,  Amsterdam,  Constantinople,  and 
Jerusalem,  and  also  other  places  that  he  may  deem 
expedient,  and  converse  with  the  priests,  rulers, 
and  elders  of  the  Jews,  and  obtain  from  them  all 
the  information  possible,  and  communicate  the 
same  to  some  principal  paper  for  publication,  that 
it  may  have  a  general  circulation  throughout  the 
United  States." 


This  seems  to  have  been  not  a  proselyting 
sion,  but  a  mere  voyage  of  discovery,  perhaps  to 
ascertain  the  best  fields  for  missionary  labor.  In 
due  time  these  elders  returned,  and  reported  through 
their  own  church  organ,  the  Times  and  /Seasons; 
but  the-  promised  "  information"  in  some  principal 
paper  never  came  to  light.  The  Jews  of  Europe 
and  Jerusalem  took  little  interest  in  the  history  of 
their  brethren  who  stole  away  thirteen  centuries 
ago  from  their  native  city  in  such  questionable 
manner,  nor  of  their  Nephite  and  Lamanite  descend- 
ants in  the  promised  land.  Indeed,  we  have  yet 
to  learn  of  one  of  the  race  having  embraced  the 
Mormon  faith. 

The  conference  also  passed  a  series  of  resolutions, 
thanking  the  people  of  Illinois  for  their  kind  and 
generous  conduct  towards  them  ;  the  Illinois  dele- 
gation in  Congress  for  their  course  ;  and  Governors 
Carlin  of  Illinois  and  Lucas  of  Iowa  for  their  sym- 
pathy and  protection.  There  were  also  several 
resolutions  passed  criticising  the  report  of  the  Ju- 


162  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

diciary  Committee  of  Congress,   and  pronouncing 
said  report  ' '  unconstitutional "  ! 

As  all  the  important  movements  of  these  people 
were  directed  by  Smith  through  so-called  revela- 
tions, these  were  always  forthcoming  when  wanted. 
The  following  for  building  up  the  new  city,  claims 
to  have  no  higher  authority  than  the  will  of  the 
prophet  himself,  but  was  obeyed  all  the  same : 

TO    THE    SAINTS   ABROAD. 

"The  First  Presidency  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  anxious  to  promote 
the  prosperity  of  said  church,  feel  it  their  duty  to 
call  on  the  Saints  who  reside  out  of  this  county  to 
make  preparations  to  come  in,  without  delay.  This 
is  important,  and  should  be  attended  to  by  all  who 
feel  an  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  this,  the  corner- 
stone of  Zion.  Here  the  temple  must  be  raised, 
the  university  be  built,  and  other  edifices  erected 
which  are  necessary  for  the  good  work  of  the  last 
days,  and  which  can  only  be  done  by  a  concentra- 
tion of  energy  and  enterprise.  Let  it  therefore  be 
understood,  that  all  the  Stakes,  excepting  those  in 
this  county,  and  in  Lee  County,  Iowa,  are  discon- 
tinued^ and  the  Saints  instructed  to  settle  in  this 
county  as  soon  as  circumstances  will  permit. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH. 
" Nauvoo,  Hancock  Co.,  III.,  May 24,  1841." 

It  must  be  known  that  proselytes  had  been  made 
in  different  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  in 
England  and  Wales,  and  many  other  parts  of  Eu- 
rope. And  these  recruits  were  chiefly  drawn  from 
among  the  poorer  classes  of  people.  We  have 


IMMIGEATION   AND    SETTLEMENT.      163 

heretofore  used  the  terms  "  king"  and  "  autocrat," 
in  reference  to  this  arrogant  leader.  Are  they  im- 
proper terms,  and  do  him  an  injustice?  Do  they 
not  rather  fall  short  of  the  truth?  Did  Turkish 
Sultan  or  Russia's  Czar  ever  claim  to  exercise 
greater  authority  over  his  subjects?  Here  is  an 
order,  and  it  does  not  even  purport  to  emanate 
from  heaven,  requiring  that  his  believers,  wherever 
located — in  the  United  States,  or  Great  Britain,  on 
the  continent,  or  on  the  islands  of  the  sea  (and  he 
had  agents  in  all  these  to  make  proselytes) — no 
matter  what  their  occupation  or  condition  in  life, 
and  owing  allegiance  no  matter  where — all  must 
gather  around  this  new  corner-stone  of  Zion,  and 
contribute  of  their  energy  and  enterprise,  money, 
strength,  sweat,  and  toil,  for  this  latest  great  work 
of  the  latter  days  ! 

The  mandate  was  issued  as  if  it  was  expected  to 
be  obeyed ;  and  it  was  obeyed.  Hundreds  of  the 
faithful  in  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  life — rich  and 
poor,  artisans  and  farmers,  and  even  the  halt  and 
blind — wherever  located,  obeyed  the  injunction  and 
made  haste  to  find  homes  and  places  for  their 
families  in  and  around  the  new  city. 


164  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER    XVH. 

PROGKESS    AND   POLITICS. 

FniST  GREAT  ERROR— PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION  OF  1840— How 
WILL  THE  PROPHET  VOTE? — WHIG  CONVENTION — NOMI- 
NATIONS—A DISGRACEFUL  ACT — LITTLE  AND  DOUGLAS — 
DR.  CHARLES — THE  CHARTERS— THEIR  CHARACTER— OR- 
GANIZATIONS— JOHN  C.  BENNETT — THE  WARSAW  SIGNAL — 
SMITH  OFFENDED  —  His  CHARACTERISTIC  LETTER  —  THE 
"  TIMES  AND  SEASONS." 

THE  first  great  error  committed  by  the  people  of 
Illinois,  in  regard  to  the  Mormons  and  Mormonism, 
was  in  placing  too  much  reliance  on  their  stories  of 
persecution.  They  were  continually  reiterated, 
and  believed  as  often  as  asserted.  The  Mormons 
were  among  them,  objects  of  sympathy  and  aid; 
the  *  *  border  ruffians  "  of  Missouri  and  Ohio  were 
at  a  distance ;  and  that  was  before  railroads  and 
telegraphs  and  fast  mails  had  penetrated  these 
prairie  States. 

Another  great  wrong  had  its  origin  in  party 
spirit.  The  two  great  parties  of  the  nation,  Demo- 
cratic and  Whig,  were  pretty  evenly  balanced 
in  both  county  and  State,  and  a  highly  exciting 
Presidential  election  was  approaching.  It  was 
generally  understood,  or  so  proclaimed,  that  while 
in  Missouri  Mr.  Smith  had  been  an  adherent  of  the 


PBOGBESS    AND    POLITICS.  165 

Democratic  party  ;  but  the  rebuff  he  had  met  with 
at  Washington  had  greatly  exasperated  him  against 
the  existing  Van  Buren  administration.  In  addi- 
tion he  had  been  kindly  aided  by  Mr.  Stuart  in 
Congress,  and  decorously  treated  by  the  great 
Whig  leader,  Henry  Clay.  It  was  apparent  that 
the  prophet's  influence  could  control  the  vote  of 
his  followers  ;  and  that  this  vote,  if  all  thrown  to 
one  party,  would  soon  be  sufficient  to  decide  all 
political  contests  in  the  county,  and  perhaps  in  the 
State.  Hence,  it  was  only  natural  that  politicians 
of  both  parties  should  seek  to  attach  the  prophet 
to  their  interests.  In  August,  1839,  the  election 
did  not  turn  on  party  politics,  and  but  few  of  the 
new-comers  being  voters,  the  result  was  much  as 
before — some  of  the  aspirants  from  each  party 
being  elected. 

As  the  Presidential  campaign  progressed  during 
the  summer  of  1840,  it  was  generally  believed  that 
the  prophet  would  vote  against  Mr.  Van  Buren  ; 
but  that  he  would  desert  the  whole  Democratic 
ticket  was  uncertain.  As  he  had  no\v  several  hun- 
dred votes  at  his  control,  it  became  a  matter  of 
importance  with  candidates  to  secure  his  favor ; 
and  it  was  wonderful  how  many  of  them  had  busi- 
ness at  Nauvoo.  And  while  there,  of  course  duty 
and  curiosity  both  required  that  they  should  call 
on  the  prophet,  laugh  at  his  rough  joke?,  listen  to 


166  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

his  anathemas  against  Governor  Boggs  and  the 
Missouri  mob,  and  his  boasts  of  the  up-building  of 
Zion,  while  partaking  of  his  hospitable  entertain- 
ment at  his  Mansion  House  hotel.  Altogether,  his 
hotel  was  among  the  best  stopping  places  in  the 
city,  and  their  bills  were  always  paid  liberally  and 
willingly.  Men  of  both  parties  were  assiduous  in 
this — all  anxious  to  receive  some  sign  as  to  the 
direction  of  the  heavenly  breezes  that  were  ex- 
pected to  blow  in  the  coming  August.*  And  these 
signs  were  pretty  equally  divided  among  them  all ; 
all  were  allowed  to  go  away  with  high  hopes  of 
success. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Presidential  elec- 
tion of  1840  was  a  highly  exciting  one ;  and  that 
during  the  canvass  the  Whigs  held  many  mass  meet- 
ings in  Illinois  and  elsewhere,  popularly  known  as 
"  Log  Cabin  and  Hard  Cider  "  demonstrations,  in 
favor  of  General  Harrison  for  President.  About 
the  last  of  March,  one  of  these  meetings — a  very 
large  and  enthusiastic  one — was  held  at  Carthage, 
the  county  seat,  in  which  some  of  the  principal 
Mormons  participated.  At  this  meeting  nomina- 
tions were  made  for  a  representative  to  the  State 
Legislature,  and  for  various  county  offices.  The 
ticket  was  well  received  by  the  party,  and  was 

*  Under  the  old  Constitution,  elections  were  held  in  the 
month  of  August. 


PROGRESS    AND    POLITICS.  167 

placed  at  the  head  of  the  editorial  columns  of  the 
Western  World  at  Warsaw,  the  Whig  organ,  where 
it  remained  until  the  22d  of  July.  In  the  World 
of  that  date  it  was  announced  that  Mr.  Martin 
Hopkins,  the  candidate  for  Eepresentative,  had 
withdrawn,  and  that  Dr.  John  F.  Charles  had  been 
put  up  in  his  place.  And  what  would  the  reader 
guess  was  the  reason  for  this  change  ?  the  purpose 
of  a  party  in  thus  setting  aside  a  good  and  capable 
man,  and  substituting  another?  Simply  this  :  The 
autocrat  of  Nauvoo  had  signified  that  he  would  not 
support  Mr.  Hopkins  !  No  good  ground  for  such 
refusal  was  ever  known ;  but  to  such  extent  did 
party  subserviency  go,  in  this  second  year  of  Mor- 
monism  in  the  State.  It  is  not  strange  that  Smith, 
ambitious  of  power,  and  so  lately  at  the  bottom 
round  of  the  ladder,  should  have  been  elated  at  the 
change,  and  willing  to  use  the  power  of  which  he 
found  himself  so  suddenly  in  possession.  The  re- 
sult was  that  the  whole  Whig  ticket  for  the  county 
was  elected  by  an  average  majority  of  about  four 
hundred  votes. 

A  characteristic  circumstance  in  connection  with 
this  election  deserves  to  be  mentioned.  Of  the 
names  of  Whig  electors  for  President  and  Vice- 

o 

President,  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  "  scratched" 
by  about  two  hundred  voters  at  Nauvoo,  and  that 
of  his  Democratic  opponent  in  the  district  substi- 


168  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

tuted.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  in  some  way  unknown 
rendered  himself  obnoxious  to  the  prophet. 

Dr.  Charles,  the  newly  elected  representative, 
and  also  State  Senator  Sidney  H.  Little  (previously 
elected  and  holding  over),  were  both  instrumental 
the  next  winter  in  obtaining  for  the  Mormons  the 
unusual  charters  granted  by  the  Legislature.  These 
charters  included  one  for  the  "City  of  Nauvoo," 
for  the  "  Nauvoo  University,"  and  for  an  inde- 
pendent military  organization  called  the  ' «  Nauvoo 
Legion."  There  was  also  one  for  an  "Industrial 
and  Mechanical  Association.  Mr.  Little  was  very 
active  in  procuring  their  passage  through  the  Sen- 
ate ;  and  to  him  and  to  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
then  Secretary  of  State,  were  the  Mormons  chiefly 
indebted  for  the  extraordinary  powers  conferred  by 
these  charters ;  though  they  are  stated  to  have 
passed  both  houses  without  opposition,  and  to  have 
been  read  only  by  their  titles.  It  is  due,  however, 
to  the  memory  of  these  honored  and  talented  dead 
statesmen,  to  believe  that  they  could  have  had  no 
conception  of  the  means  that  would  be  resorted  to 
for  the  abuse  of  powers  so  thoughtlessly  conferred. 

Mr.  Little  was  a  citizen  of  the  county,  a  lawyer 
of  fine  abilities,  and  possessed  of  great  personal 
magnetism,  and  was  held  in  much  esteem  by  all 
classes  of  people.  He  had  great  influence  with  the 
leaders  of  Nauvoo.  He  met  a  tragic  death  in  Au- 


PROGRESS    AND    POLITICS.  169 

gust,  1841,  by  being  thrown  from  a  buggy.  What 
might  have  been  his  course  had  he  lived,  is  for  an 
inscrutable  Providence  to  know ;  but  we  feel  sure 
that  had  he  remained  among  us,  his  fertile  genius 
and  talents  would  have  found  a  better  way  out  of 
the  difficulties  which  were  so  soon  to  follow,  than 
through  a  road  marked  with  violence  and  blood- 
shed. 

The  act  (the  charters  were  all  contained  in  one 
act)  created  a  "City,"  a  "University,"  and  a 
"Military  Legion";  represented  respectively  by 
a  "  City  Council,"  a  "  Board  of  Trustees,"  and  a 
"  Court  Martial,"  each  of  which  was  invested  with 
legislative,  judicial,  and  executive  powers  ;  the  right 
to  "enact,  establish,  ordain  and  execute,  all  laws 
and  ordinances  not  repugnant  to  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States  or  of  this  State."  No  proviso 
appears  in  the  act,  guarding  against  infringement 
of  the  laws  of  either  the  State  or  the  United  States. 
That  usual  proviso  in  charters,  may  or  may  not 
have  been  purposely  omitted ;  but  it  will  be  found 
on  examination,  that  in  all  other  charters  granted 
at  that  session,  infractions  of  the  laws  as  well  as 
the  constitutions  are  included  among  the  provisos. 
It  is,  however,  an  obvious  fact,  that  the  Judiciary 
Committee,  both  houses  of  the  Legislature,  and  the 
Governor  who  signed  the  bill,  in  passing  it  in  the 


170  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

manner  they  did,  omitted  the  performance  of  their 
plain  duty. 

The  Legion  was  made  independent  of  the  rest  of 
the  military  of  the  State.  It  had  created  for  its 
commander,  an  officer  whose  title  was  unknown 
elsewhere  in  the  State  or  nation ,  that  of  * «  Lieu- 
tenant-General " ;  and  any  citizen  of  the  county 
was  at  liberty  to  enroll  himself  as  a  member,  by 
which  all  the  brethren  everywhere  in  the  county 
were  brought  under  the  same  military  control. 

Soon  after  the  settlement  had  begun  at  Nauvoo, 
and  before  the  prophet  had  escaped  from  the  Mis- 
souri jail,  a  small  monthly  organ  of  the  church  was 
established,  under  the  charge  of  Ebenezer  Robinson 
and  Don  C.  Smith,  the  latter  a  young  brother  of 
the  prophet.  Its  first  issue  was  dated  November, 
1839.  This  paper  was  changed  subsequently  to  a 
semi-monthly,  and  was  continued  during  the  whole 
period  of  the  Mormon  sojourn  in  the  county,  with 
numerous  changes  in  its  ownership  and  manage- 
ment. Its  title  was  Times  and  Seasons.  Once 
or  twice  it  was  nominally  conducted  by  the  prophet 
himself,  its  latest  editor  being  John  Taylor,  one  of 
the  Twelve,  and  at  the  present  writing,  the  suc- 
cessor to  Brigham  Young  at  Salt  Lake. 

On  the  third  of  February,  1841,  the  city  of 
Nauvoo  was  organized  under  its  charter,  with  Dr. 
John  C.  Bennett  as  its  first  mayor.  The  Legion 


PltOdHKXS    AND    POLITIC*.  171 

and  the  University  were  organized  about  the  same 
time — President  Joseph  Smith  as  Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral,  and  Bennett  as  Major-Genera]  of  the  Legion, 
and  James  Kelly,  A.  M.,  "  an  alumnus  of  Trinity 
College,  Dublin,"  as  chancellor  of  the  University. 
All  these  organizations  were  effected  with  great 
show  and  ceremony,  and  attracted  crowds  of  peo- 
ple, both  Mormon  and  Gentile.  One  of  the  first 
acts  of  the  city  council  was  to  pass  a  series  of 
resolves  conveying  thanks  to  the  State  govern- 
ment for  favors  conferred,  and  to  the  citizens  of 
Quincy  for  kindness  shown  them  when  driven  from 
Missouri.  The  Legion  was  furnished  with  State 
arms  by  General  Bennett,  who,  we  omitted  to 
state,  had  the  year  before  been  appointed  Quarter- 
Master-General  of  the  State  by  Governor  Carlin. 

Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  had  at  the  last 
legislative  session  been  elected  one  of  the  Judges 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  assigned  to  circuit  duty 
in  that  district,  held  a  court  in  Hancock  County 
early  in  May,  1841.  One  of  his  first  acts  was  the 
appointment  of  the  newly-made  Major-General  of 
the  Legion  to  the  office  of  Master  in  Chancery. 
This  act  of  indiscretion  met  with  general  con- 
demnation by  the  old  settlers  of  the  county.  It 
was  rebuked  in  strong  terms  by  the  Warsaiv  Sig- 
nal (then  the  only  paper  in  the  county  outside  of 
Nauvoo),  urging  as  valid  objections  to  the  ap- 


172  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

pointnient,  that  Bennett  was  a  stranger  in  the 
county,  and  that  the  mass  of  the  people  had  no 
confidence  in  him.  In  the  same  issue  of  that  jour- 
nal was  an  editorial  referring  to  an  existing  rumor 
that  some  newly-arrived  emigrants  from  England 
were  dissatisfied  with  affairs  at  Nauvoo.  The 
Signal  continued : 

"  But  this  is  no  concern  of  ours.  While  on  the 
subject,  however,  we  will  notice  an  accusation 
which  has  been  made  against  us — that  of  having  for 
political  effect  flattered  the  Mormons.  This  is  not 
true.  We  have  occasionally  noticed  their  doings, 
but  not  with  any  such  design.  We  believe  they 
have  the  same  rights  as  other  religious  bodies  pos- 
sess, and  ought  to  be  protected  in  the  just  and 
proper  exercise  of  those  rights.  We  do  not  be- 
lieve in  persecution  for  opinion's  sake.  But  when- 
ever they,  as  a  people,  step  beyond  the  proper 
sphere  of  a  religious  denomination,  and  become  a 
political  body,  as  many  of  our  citizens  are  begin- 
ning to  apprehend  will  be  the  case,  then  this  press 
stands  pledged  to  take  a  stand  against  them.  On 
religious  questions  it  is  and  shall  remain  neutral ; 
but  it  is  bound  to  oppose  the  concentration  of 
political  power  in  a  religious  body,  or  in  the  hands 
of  a  few  individuals." 

No  one  can  claim  that  the  foregoing  was  unjust 
in  sentiment  or  purpose  toward  any  class  of  people 
or  any  individual.  It  fairly  and  firmly  expressed 
the  feeling  that  existed  in  the  public  mind  through- 
out the  county  and  State,  without  regard  to  party 
distinctions.  Yet  it  gave  great  offence  to  the 


PXOGtiESS    AND    POLITICS.  173 

reigning  authority  at  Xauvoo.  Soon  afterwards 
the  following  note  was  received  by  the  editor  of 
the  /Signal  through  the  mail : 

«NAUVOO,  111.,  May  26,  1841. 
44  MR.  SHARP,  Editor  of  the  Warsaiv  Signal: 

"  SIR  : — You  will  discontinue  my  paper ;  its  con- 
tents are  calculated  to  pollute  me.     And  to  patron- 
ize that  filthy  sheet,  that  tissue  of  lies,  that  sink  of 
iniquity,  is  disgraceful  to  any  moral  man. 
"  Yours  with  contempt, 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

"  P.  S. — Please  publish  the  above  in  your  con- 
temptible paper." 

Dr.  John  C.  Bennett  was  a  late  convert  to  the 
Mormon  faith.  He  came  to  Nauvoo  from  a  distant 
part  of  the  State,  soon  ingratiated  himself  into  the 
confidence  of  the  prophet,  and  about  the  first  of  Oc- 
tober, 1840,  was  baptized,  and  at  once  became  a 
conspicuous  and  active  leader.  He  was  a  man  of 
liberal  education,  excessively  vain  and  pompous, 
and  of  good  address  ;  and  yet  he  brought  with  him, 
if  not  a  tainted,  at  least  a  questionable  reputation, 
which  his  career  at  Nauvoo  did  not  improve.  He 
was  said  to  have  been  at  the  time  a  comparative 
stranger  in  the  State ;  and  how  he  came  to  be  the 
recipient  of  two  or  three  important  offices,  was  not 
understood.  Governor  Ford's  account  of  this  in- 
dividual is  so  tersely  written,  and  so  well  accords 
with  the  general  opinion  concerning  him,  that  we 
give  it  in  his  own  language  : 


174          THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

"  This  Bennett  was  probably  the  greatest  scamp 
in  the  Western  country.  I  have  made  particular 
inquiries  concerning  him,  and  have  traced  him  in 
several  places  in  which  he  has  lived  before  he 
joined  the  Mormons — in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illi- 
nois— and  he  was  everywhere  accounted  the  same 
debauched,  unprincipled  and  profligate  character. 
'  He  was  a  man  of  some  little  talent,  and  had  the 
confidence  of  the  Mormons,  and  particularly  that 
of  the  leaders." — Hist,  of  Illinois,  page  263. 

In  referring  to  the  appointment  of  Bennett  to  be 
Master  in  Chancery,  the  Signal  had  used  the  fol- 
lowing language  : 

"  Bennett  has  but  recently  become  an  inhabitant 
of  this  State.  He  came  here  followed  by  evil  re- 
port— he  joins  a  sect  and  advocates  a  creed  in 
which  no  one  believes  he  has  any  faith — his  true 
character  is  not  known  to  our  citizens,  nor  have 
they  any  confidence  in  him." 

To  this  the  next  issue  of  the  Times  and  Seasons 
responded  : 

"  .  .  .  But  General  Bennett's  character  as 
a  gentleman,  an  officer,  a  scholar  and  physician, 
stands  too  high  to  need  defending  by  us  ;  suffice  it 
to  say  that  he  is  in  the  confidence  of  the  executive, 
holds  the  office  of  Quarter-Master-General  of  the 
State,  etc." 

It  is  interesting  to  contrast  this  with  what  these 
people  had  to  say  of  Dr.  Bennett  about  a  year 
afterwards — for  which  see  a  future  chapter. 


AN  ANTI-MOEHON  PAliTY.  175 


CHAPTER    XVIIL 

AN    ANTI-MORMON    PARTY. 

UNWORTHY  SYCOPHANCY — A  GROWING  APPREHENSION — PUBLIC 
MEETINGS — ANTI-MORMON  PARTY — CANDIDATES  ELECTED 
— THOMAS  FORD  NOMINATED  FOR  GOVERNOR — THE  WASP. 

THE  consideration  with  which  the  prophet  was 
treated  by  the  great  men  of  the  land — governors, 
judges,  politicians,  divines,  and  others — had  much 
effect  in  pampering  his  pride  and  vanity,  and  lead- 
ing him  on  to  his  destruction.  Had  all  these 
prominent  men  treated  him  as  they  knew  he  de- 
served, and  sternly  said  to  him  :  "  Joseph  Smith  ! 
you  are  an  arrant  knave  and  impostor,  and  deserve 
the  contempt  of  all  honest  men,"  or  had  they  even 
neglected  to  run  after  and  fawn  upon  him ;  he 
would  have  fallen  into  obscurity,  and  we  would 
long  since  have  ceased  to  hear  of  Mormonism,  ex- 
cept as  one  of  those  fantastic  tricks  with  which  the 
world  is  so  frequently  afflicted. 

The  following  is  one  among  many  instances  of 
the  character  to  which  we  refer.  On  a  certain 
Sunday  in  May,  Judge  Douglas,  then  holding  court 
in  Carthage,  in  company  with  Cyrus  Walker,  Esq., 
an  attorney  at  the  bar — prominent  leaders  in  the 


176  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

two  great  political  parties — paid  Nauvoo  and  the 
prophet  a  visit,  and  were  received  with  high  con- 
sideration. They  went  to  hear  him  deliver  one 
of  his  usual  politico-religious  harangues,  with 
which  he  weekly  favored  the  gaping  multitude ; 
and  there  these  two  dignitaries  were  taken  to  the 
stand  and  introduced  to  the  congregation,  and  after 
being  complimented  by  the  chief,  made  flattering 
speeches  in  return. 

This  is  only  one  among  the  many  cases  that  were 
constantly  occurring  during  the  greater  period  of 
Smith's  residence  in  Nauvoo.  It  is  not  a  matter 
of  wonder,  then,  that  in  view  of  his  constant  com- 
mands to  the  faithful  to  come  and  settle  in  the 
county — the  course  so  certain  to  be  pursued  by 
them  at  all  times — with  what  was  daily  transpiring 
among  the  politicians,  that  the  sober  and  reflecting 
people  of  the  county,  should  become  alarmed,  and 
begin  to  look  about  for  some  mode  of  redress.  In 
consequence  of  this  growing  apprehension,  public 
meetings  began  to  be  held  in  various  neighbor- 
hoods ;  and  finally  it  was  decided  to  call  a  county 
convention  to  consider  the  subject.  One  was  ac- 
cordingly held  at  the  county  seat  on  the  28th  of 
June,  1841,  composed  of  many  of  the  best  citizens 
from  both  political  parties.  This  convention  de- 
cided to  adopt  and  carry  forward  a  policy  which 
at  this  day  may  be  regarded  by  many  as  indiscreet  ? 


AN   AXTI-MORMON    PARTY.  177 

namely,  the  organization  of  a  party  in  opposition 
to  Mormon  influence,  and  to  put  forward  candi- 
dates for  office.  Whether  this  policy  was  the  best, 
in  view  of  all  the  circumstances  and  of  the  results, 
it  were  hard  to  determine.  * 

Accordingly  a  Democrat  and  a  Whig  were  put 
up  for  the  only  two  county  offices  to  be  filled  that 
year — County  Commissioner  and  School  Commis- 
sioner. The  first  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
twenty-four  and  the  latter  by  four  votes  over  their 
competitors.  It  is  proper  to  add  that  neither  of 
their  opponents  were  Mormons,  but  belonged  to 
each  of  the  political  parties,  and  were  supported 
by  the  Mormon  vote.  At  this  election,  Hon.  John 
T.  Stuart  received  the  almost  unanimous  Mormon 
vote  for  Congress. 

From  this  convention — and  it  was  one  of  the 
most  respectable  and  earnest  ones  ever  held  in  the 
county — may  be  dated  the  rise  of  the  "  Anti-Mor- 
mon" party,  and  the  origin  of  the  term  "Anti- 
Mormon,"  as  applied  to  those  who  were  seeking  to 
counteract  Mormon  influence  in  the  county  and 
State  ;  a  party  which  existed  during  the  whole  re- 
maining period  of  Mormon  residence  in  the  county, 
and  which  met  with  much  vituperation  and  mis- 
representation by  many  of  the  presses  of  the  coun- 
try. Its  aim  was  patriotic  and  commendable  ;  yet 
it  will  not  be  denied  that,  in  the  excitements  of 


178  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

party  strife,  many  acts  of  unnecessary  and  unlaw- 
ful violence  were  committed  by  it — the  crowning 
one  of  which  was  the  expulsion  of  the  sect  from  the 
State. 

Two  of  the  resolutions  passed  at  the  convention, 
will  not  be  out  of  place  in  this  connection.  It  re- 
solved : 

"  That  with  the  peculiar  religious  opinions  of  the 
people  calling  themselves  Mormons,  or  Latter-Day 
Saints,  we  have  nothing  to  do  ;  being  at  all  times 
perfectly  willing  that  they  shall  remain  in  full  pos- 
session of  all  the  rights  and  privileges  which  out 
constitution  and  laws  guarantee  and  other  citizens 
enjoy. 

4 'That  in  standing  up,  as  we  do,  to  oppose  the 
influence  which  these  people  have  obtained,  and 
are  likely  to  obtain,  in  a  political  capacity,  over 
our  fellow  citizens  and  their  liberties,  we  are  guided 
only  by  a  desire  to  defend  ourselves  against  a 
despotism,  the  extent  and  consequences  of  which 
we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining." 

The  convention  also  put  forth  an  earnest  address 
to  the  people,  urging  them  to  lay  aside  all  party 
differences  in  support  of  the  principles  and  policy 
of  the  new  organization . 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1841,  the  Demo- 
cratic party  of  the  State  met  in  convention  at  the 
capital,  and  nominated  Hon.  Adam  W.  Snyder  for 
Governor,  ex-Governor  Joseph  Duncan  being  the 
candidate  of  the  Whigs.  But  Mr.  Snyder  dying 
soon  after,  Judge  Thomas  Ford  was  nominated  in 


AN   ANTI-MORMON   PARTY.  179 

his  stead.  Eearly  in  1842,  the  prophet  issued  a 
proclamation  enjoining  his  followers  to  vote  .the 
Democratic  ticket — which  they  did,  electing  all  its 
candidates  in  the  county,  and  aiding  to  swell  Judge 
Ford's  majority  over  his  competitor.  The  Anti- 
Mormon  party,  as  in  the  year  before,  put  a  full 
ticket  in  the  field,  only  to  be  defeated.  It  had  ob- 
tained in  1841  its  first  and  only  success. 

Among  the  elected  this  year  was  William  Smith, 
a  young  brother  of  the  prophet,  to  the  responsible 
office  of  representative  in  the  General  Assembly. 
William  (or  as  he  was  always  called,  "  Bill  Smith  ") 
was  an  illiterate,  wild,  and  reckless  scion  of  the 
family,  of  rather  questionable  character,  even  among 
his  own  people ;  but  who  had  been  advanced  to 
the  position  of  4 '  Patriarch  "  in  the  church ,  in  order 
to  receive  the  perquisites  arising  therefrom.  He 
had  also  aspired  to  the  dignity  of  editor,  and  had 
conducted  a  little  sheet  which  he  had  named  The 
Wasp — indicating  that  he  regarded  it  as  a  stinger 
among  newspapers ;  but  for  illiterate  and  vulgar 
abuse,  and  silly  nonsense,  had  seldom  been  excelled. 
It  had  a  sickly  existence  of  a  few  months,  and  was 
succeeded  by  the  JVauvoo  Neighbor,  a  larger,  bet- 
ter, and  more  decent  sheet. 

These  sheets,  after  the  Times  and  Seasons , 
heretofore  mentioned,  were  the  organs  and  the 
only  organs  of  the  Saints  during  their  stay  in 


180  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

Illinois.  They  were  conducted — the  monthly  or 
religious  organ — mainly  by  the  prophet  himself, 
though  often  relieved  by  others  of  his  principal 
adherents,  and  the  latter,  a  weekly  secular  sheet, 
by  John  Taylor,  an  English  convert.  The  ability 
displayed  in  their  editorial  management  was  below 
that  of  most  of  the  country  press  of  the  State. 


THE  TEMPLE  AT  NAUVOO. 


THE    NAUVOO    TEMPLE*  181 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE    NAUVOO    TEMPLE. 

TEMPLE  BUILDING — AT  NAUVOO — CORNER  STONES  LAID — 
REVELATION  DEMANDING  IT — ALSO  A  "  BOARDING  HOUSE" 
—  THE  NAUVOO  HOUSE  UNFINISHED  —  STOCKHOLDERS 
NAMED  BY  REVELATION. 

TEMPLE  building  seems  to  have  ever  been  one  of 
the  chief  purposes  of  Mormon  ism.  The  prophet 
began  at  a  very  early  day,  at  Kirtland,  to  extract 
money  and  labor  from  his  followers,  ostensibly  for 
the  purpose  of  rearing  a  grand  structure  in  Zion, 
in  which  to  worship  and  receive  messages  from  the 
Most  High.  One  was  built  there,  but  never  fin- 
ished until  thirty  or  forty  years  after  his  death. 
Others,  how  many  we  do  not  know,  were  begun  or 
projected  in  Missouri ;  and  now  a  still  more  impos- 
ing and  magnificent  one  is  to  be  commenced  at 
Nauvoo. 

The  revelation  ordering  this  great  work  is  one  of 
the  most  elaborate  and  remarkable  among  the 
many  issued  by  him.  As  it  could  only  be  built  by 
the  free-will  offerings  of  his  people,  ample  provision 
had  to  be  made  to  secure  these.  One  of  the  latest 
revelations  given  in  Missouri,  was  at  Far  West, 
dated  July  8,  1838,  and  was  in  answer  to  the 


182  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

lion  :  "  O  Lord,  show  unto  thy  servants  how  much 
thou  requires!  of  the  properties  of  the  people  for  a 
tithing."  And  this  is  the  answer  : 

"1.  Verily  thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  require  all 
their  surplus  property  to  be  put  into  the  hands  of 
the  bishop  of  my  church  of  Zion,  for  the  building 
of  mine  house,  and  for  the  laying  of  the  foundation  of 
Zion,  and  for  the  priesthood,  and  for  the  debts  of 
the  Presidency  of  my  church  ;  and  this  shall  be  the 
beginning  of  the  tithing  of  my  people ;  and  after 
that,  those  who  have  thus  been  tithed  shall  pay  one- 
tenth  of  all  their  interest  annually  ,•  and  this  shall 
be  a  standing  law  unto  them  forever,  for  my  holy 
priesthood,  saith  the  Lord." 

What  portion  of  a  man's  property  may  be  called 
"surplus,"  would  be  hard  for  most  men  to  deter- 
mine, but  was  doubtless  easy  for  the  Mormon 
prophet ;  and  as  the  question  was  left  for  him  or 
the  bishop  to  decide,  we  may  conclude  that  the 
surplus  was  often  large.  It  was  rather  heavy  tax- 
ation, however,  to  require  all  his  surplus  at  the 
beginning,  and  then  ten  per  cent,  annually  forever 
on  the  remainder.  But  the  requirements  for  this 
heavy  taxation  were  great  and  numerous  ;  the  tem- 
ple was  to  be  built,  the  "  foundations  of  Zion" 
Avere  to  be  laid,  the  "  priesthood  "  was  to  be  sup- 
ported, and  the  "  debts  of  the  Presidency  "  were  to 
be  paid.  This  was  given  in  Missouri,  where  a 
temple  was  planned,  insignificant  in  comparison  with 
Ibo  one  now  to  be  built.  It  has  been  claimed  by 


THE    NAUVOO    TEMPLE.  183 

Mormon  authority,  that  this  Xauvoo  temple  cost 
them  over  a  million  of  dollars.  Three  to  four  hun- 
dred thousand,  it  is  believed,  would  have  been 
ample  for  the  purpose.  What  became  of  the  re- 
mainder, the  reader  must  guess. 

Preparations  for  the  work  were  early  begun,  and 
on  the  6th  of  April,  1841,  the  eleventh  anniversary 
of  the  formation  of  the  church  in  New  York,  the 
corner  stone  was  laid  with  imposing  ceremonies, 
and  in  presence  of  several  thousand  people.  The 
Legion  was  out  in  full  force,  amounting  to  over 
six  hundred  men,  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
General  Smith  and  Major-General  Bennett.  Sidney 
Rigdon  was  the  orator  of  the  day.  And  from  that 
day  forward,  until  driven  into  the  wilderness,  these 
people  contributed  of  their  "  surplus,"  and  their 
labor,  toward  its  completion ;  constant  demands 
were  made  upon  them  for  more,  and  constant  com- 
mands sent  abroad  for  money  and  means  to  carry 
forward  the  w^ork. 

The  revelation  given  for  the  erection  of  this  tem- 
ple was  dated  January  19,  1841,  and  provided  also 
for  a  grand  hotel  for  the  prophet  to  live  in.  It  is 
very  lengthy  and  explicit  on  many  points.  The 
Kings  of  the  Earth  were  to  be  called  upon  for  aid, 
and  Robert  B.  Thompson  was  enjoined  to  help  write 
the  proclamation.  We  can  only  quote  portions  : 

".  I    sav  unto    you   that   you   are    now 


184  THE  PliOPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 

called  to  make  a  solemn  proclamation  of  my  gospel, 
and  of  this  Stake  which  I  have  planted  to  be  the 
corner  stone  of  Zion,  which  shall  be  polished  with 
that  refinement  which  is  after  the  similitude  of  a 
palace.  This  proclamation  shall  be  made  to  all  the 
Kings  of  the  World,  to  the  four  corners  thereof, 
to  the  honorable  President-elect,  and  the  high- 
minded  governors  of  the  nation  in  which  you  live, 
and  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  scattered  abroad. 
.  Awake  !  O  Kings  of  the  Earth  !  Come 
ye,  O  come  ye,  with  your  gold  and  your  silver,  to 
the  help  of  my  people,  to  the  house  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  Zion.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you, 
let  my  servant  Robert  B.  Thompson  help  you  to 
write  this  proclamation ; 

"And  again,  I  say  unto  you,  blessed  is  my  ser- 
vant, Hyrum  Smith, 

"Again  let  my  servant  John  C.  Bennett  help 
you  in  your  labor.  ...  I  have  seen  the  work  which 
he  hath  done,  which  I  accept,  if  he  continue,  and  will 
crown  him  with  blessings  and  great  glory.*  .  .  . 

"And  again  I  say  unto  you,  that  it  is  my  will 
that  my  servant,  Lyman  Wight,,  should  continue 
preaching  for  Zion,  .  .  .  that  when  he  shall 
finish  his  work,  I  may  receive  him  unto  myself, 
even  as  I  did  David  Patten,  who  is  with  me  at  this 
time,  and  also  my  servant,  Edward  Partridge,  and 
also  my  aged  servant,  Joseph  Smith,  Sr.,  who  sit- 
teth  with  Abraham,  at  his  right  hand,  and  blessed 
and  holy  is  he,  for  he  is  mine. 

"And  again  I  say  unto  }TOU,  my  servant  George 
Miller  is  without  guile,  .  I  therefore  seal 

upon  his  head  the  office  of  a  bishoprick, 

"Let  my  servant  George,  and  my  servant  Ly- 

*  After  the  quarrel  with  Bennett,  a  short  time  afterwards, 
Smith  published  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  a  statement  that 
soon  after  Bennett  joined  them,  he  had  letters  from  abroad 
telling  what  a  scamp  he  was,  and  cautioning  them  to  beware 
of  him. 


THE    NAUVOO    TEMPLE.  185 

man,  and  my  servant  John  Snyder,  and  others, 
build  a  house  unto  my  name,  such  an  one  as  my 
servant  Joseph  shall  show  unto  them,  upon  the 
place  which  he  shall  show  unto  them  also.  And  it 
shall  be  for  an  house  for  boarding,  an  house  that 
strangers  may  come  from  afar  to  lodge  therein ; 
therefore  let  it  be  a  good  house,  worthy  of  all 
acceptation,  that  the  weary  traveller  may  find  health 
and  safety  while  he  shall  contemplate  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  corner  stone  I  have  appointed  for 
Zion.  This  house  shall  be  a  healthy  habitation,  if 
it  be  built  unto  my  name,  and  if  the  governor, 
which  shall  be  appointed  unto  it  shall  not  suffer 
any  pollution  to  come  upon  it.  It  shall  be  holy, 
or  the  Lord  your  God  will  not  dwell  therein.  .  .  . 
4 'And  now,  I  say  unto  you,  as  pertaining  to  my 
boarding  house,  which  I  have  commanded  you  to 
build,  for  the  boarding  of  strangers,  let  it  be  built 
unto  my  name,  and  let  my  name  be  named  upon  it ; 
and  let  my  servant  Joseph  and  his  house  have 
place  therein,  from  generation  to  generation ;  for 
this  anointing  have  I  put  upon  his  head,  that  his 
blessing  shall  be  put  upon  the  head  of  his  posterity, 
after  him ;  and  as  I  said  unto  Abraham,  concerning* 
the  kindreds  of  the  earth,  even  so  I  say  unto  my 
servant  Joseph,  in  thee  and  in  thy  seed,  shall  the 
kindred  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  Therefore,  let  my 
servant  Joseph,  and  his  seed  after  him,  have  place 
in  that  house,  from  generation  to  generation,  for- 
ever and  ever,  saith  the  Lord,  and  let  the  name  of 
that  house  be  called  the  Nauvoo  House ;  and  let  it 
be  a  delightful  habitation  for  man,  and  a  resting- 
place  for  the  weary  traveler,  that  he  may  contem- 
plate the  glory  of  Zion,  and  the  glory  of  this  the 
corner-stone  thereof;  that  he  may  receive,  also,  the 
counsel  from  those  whom  I  have  set  to  be  as  plants 
of  renown,  and  as  watchmen  upon  her  walls." 


186  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

Then  it  goes  on  to  organize  a  stock  company  for 
the  building  of  the  hotel,  providing  "my  ser- 
vants," George  Miller,  Lyman  Wight,  John  Snyder, 
and  Peter  Haws,  shall  be  the  corporators  ;  that  they 
shall  form  a  constitution  and  receive  stock  in  shares 
of  fifty  dollars  each,  but  that  no  one  shall  hold  more 
than  fifteen  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stock  ;  "  but 
if  he  pay  nothing,"  he  shall  receive  no  stock  ;  that 
they  shall  not  appropriate  the  stock  for  any  other 
purpose,  under  the  penalty  of  repaying  fourfold, 
"  for  I,  the  Lord,  am  God,  and  cannot  be  mocked 
in  any  of  these  things." 

"  My  servant  Joseph,"  is  also  allowed  to  pay 
stock  into  their  hands ;  and  "  there  are  others  also, 
who  wish  to  know  my  will  concerning  them ;  for 
they  have  asked  it  of  my  hands  "  ;  therefore,  Vinson 
Knight,  and  brother  Hyrum,  and  Isaac  Galland, 
and  William  Marks,  and  Henry  G.  Sherwood,  and 
William  Law,  and  Amos  Davis,  "my  servants," 
were  all  specially  named  as  authorized  to  become 
stockholders.  But  no  man  was  allowed  to  become 
a  stockholder,  "unless  he  be  a  believer  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  and  the  revelations  I  have  given 
unto  you."  It  is  quite  certain  that  at  least  two  of 
those  named  never  believed  in  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
and  well  understood  the  object  of  the  revelations  ; 
it  is  not  certain  whether  they  ever  subscribed  to 
the  stock. 


THE  NAUVOO  TEMPLE.  is? 

And  yet  that  house,  which  was  to  be  "  worthy  of 
all  acceptation,"  and  the  habitation  of  Smith  and 
his  family, "  from  generation  to  generation,  forever," 
was  never  occupied  by  him,  and  was  never  finished. 
Mrs.  Smith,  with  her  Gentile  second  husband,  re- 
sided in  a  portion  of  it  during  the  latter  years  of  her 
lifetime.  The  command  for  the  erection  of  the 
temple  was  equally  decisive  and  imperative.  It 
said,  in  part : 

"And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  let  all  my 
Saints  come  from  afar ;  and  send  ye  swift  messen- 
gers, yea,  chosen  messengers,  and  say  unto  them, 
Come  ye,  with  all  your  gold,  and  your  silver,  and 
your  precious  stones,  and  with  all  your  antiquities ; 
and  with  all  who  have  knowledge  of  antiquities, 
that  will  come  may  come,  and  bring  the  box  tree, 
and  the  fir  tree,  and  the  pine  tree,  together  with 
all  the  precious  trees  of  the  earth ;  and  with  iron , 
with  copper,  with  brass,  and  with  zinc,  and  with 
all  your  precious  things  of  the  earth,  and  build  an 
house  to  my  name,  for  the  Most  High  to  dwell 
therein ;  for  there  is  not  a  place  found  on  earth  that 
he  may  come  and  restore  again  that  which  was  lost 
unto  you,  or,  which  he  hath  taken  away,  even  the 
fulness  of  the  priesthood  ;  for  a  baptismal  font  there 
is  not  upon  the  earth ;  that  they,  my  Saints,  may 
be  baptized  for  those  who  are  dead  ;  for  this  ordi- 
nance belongeth  to  my  house,  and  cannot  be  accept- 
able to  me,  only  in  the  days  of  your  poverty, 
wherein  ye  are  not  able  to  build  an  house  unto  me. 
But  I  command  you,  all  ye  my  Saints,  to  build  an 
house  unto  me ;  and  I  grant  unto  you  a  sufficient 
time  to  build  an  house  unto  me,  and  during  this 
time  your  baptisms  shall  be  acceptable  unto 
me.  " 


188  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

And  the  temple  was  built,  though  never  com- 
pletely finished,  a  handsome  and  imposing  struc- 
ture, at  a  great  cost  of  money  and  labor.  For 
several  years,  the  brethren  residing  over  the  county, 
and  in  near  portions  of  the  State  and  Iowa,  would 
come  and  labor  on  it,  giving  to  its  service  one- 
tenth  of  their  time  ;  and  would  convey  to  the  city 
and  deposit  in  the  "  Lord's  Store  House,"  for  the 
use  of  the  laborers,  and  for  the  support  of  the  Pres- 
idency and  the  priesthood,  one-tenth  of  all  the 
products  of  their  farms  and  shops.  "  HOLINESS  TO 
THE  LOKD  "  was  artistically  displayed  in  golden 
letters  upon  it,  and  from  its  commanding  position 
on  the  bluff  in  the  city,  it  could  be  seen  for  miles 
around,  a  beautiful  and  imposing  spectacle.  Its 
walls  were  built  of  a  beautiful  dressed  limestone, 
from  extensive  quarries  on  the  Mississippi  bluff,  two 
miles  below  the  city. 


HYRUM    SMITH. 


MUCH   ADO    ABOUT    THEFT.  189 


CHAPTER    XX. 

MUCH   ADO    ABOUT    THEFT. 

HYRUM  SMITH'S  AFFIDAVIT — AND  THE  TWELVE — BROTHER 
JOSEPH'S  AFFIDAVIT  AND  PROCLAMATION— THE  COURT- 
MARTIAL  AND  ALL  THE  GENERALS. 

ONE  of  the  many  charges  made  against  the  Lat- 
ter-Day Saints  while  in  Illinois,  was  that  the  rank 
and  file  were  prone  to  appropriate  the  property  of 
their  Gentile  neighbors  to  their  own  use.  That 
this  propensity  did  exist  among  them,  to  a  greater 
extent  than  among  outsiders,  is  capable  of  the  clear- 
est demonstration,  though  strenuously  denied  on 
their  part.  There  were  two  causes — excuses,  we 
may  say — for  this  propensity.  One  was  the  ex- 
treme poverty  of  many  of  them,  dragged  about,  as 
many  of  them  had  been,  from  place  to  place,  and 
robbed  of  their  scanty  means,  to  pamper  their  lead- 
ers ;  and  the  other  was,  the  teachings  of  the  leaders 
themselves.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the 
prophet  or  many  of  his  numerous  missionaries 
meant  to  inculcate  theft ;  but  they  did  teach,  and 
it  was  ever  one  of  the  chief  burdens  of  their  ha- 
rangues, that  "  the  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  ful- 
ness thereof,"  and  that  the  Gentile  possessions  were 
soon  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  his  Saints  for  an  inher- 


190  THE    PROPHET    OP   PALMYRA. 

itance,  and  "we"  are  his  Saints.  Many  of  the 
more  ignorant  among  them  interpreted  these  teach- 
ings too  literally,  and  anticipated  the  time  when 
this  event  was  to  take  place.  And  it  is  a  well- 
known  fact,  that  leaders  and  officials  would  generally 
endeavor  to  screen  those  charged  with  the  offence, 
under  the  pretext  that  it  was  outside  persecu- 
tion. 

The  fact  that  these  charges  of  theft  had  become 
so  frequent,  and  were  evidently  having  effect  in 
the  community,  led  the  authorities  to  take  action 
upon  them,  and  we  copy  below  some  curious  docu- 
ments, showing  what  that  action  was.  They  will  be 
found  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  of  December  1, 
1841: 

HYKUM  SMITH'S  AFFIDAVIT. 

"  Whereas,  it  hath  been  intimated  to  me  by  per- 
sons of  credibility,  that  there  are  persons  in  the 
surrounding  country  who  profess  to  be  members  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  who 
have  been  using  their  influence  and  endeavoring  to 
instil  into  the  minds  of  good  and  worthy  citizens 
in  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  the  adjoining  States, 
that  the  First  Presidency  and  others  in  authority 
and  high  standing  in  said  church,  do  sanction  and 
approbate  the  members  of  said  church  in  stealing 
property  from  those  persons  who  do  not  belong  to 
said  church,  and  thereby  to  induce  persons  to  aid 
and  abet  them  in  the  act  of  stealing,  and  other  evil 
practices,  I  therefore  disavow  hereby  any  sanction 
or  approbation  by  me,  of  the  crime  of  theft,  or  any 


MUCH    ADO    ABOUT    THEFT.  191 

other  evil  practice,  in  any  person  whatever,  whereby 
either  the  lives  or  property  of  our  fellow-citizens 
may  be  unlawfully  taken  or  molested ;  neither  are 
such  things  sanctioned  or  approbated  by  the  First 
Presidency,  or  any  other  person  in  authority  or 
good  standing  in  said  church,  but  such  acts  are 
altogether  in  violation  of  the  rules,  order,  and  reg- 
ulations of  the  church,  contrary  to  the  teachings 
of  said  church,  and  the  laws  of  both  God  and  man. 
I  caution  the  unwary,  who  belong  to  the  aforesaid 
church,  and  all  other  persons,  against  being  duped 
or  led  into  any  act  or  scheme  which  may  endanger 
their  character,  lives,  or  property,  or  bring  reproach 
upon  the  church ;  and  I  certify  that  I  hold  my  per- 
son and  property  ready  to  support  the  laws  of  the 
land,  in  the  detection  of  any  person  or  persons  who 
may  commit  any  breach  of  the  same.  To  which  I 
subscribe  my  name  and  testify,  this  26th  day  of 
November,  1841. 

"  HYRUM  SMITH." 

"  Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  this  26th 
day  of  November,  1841. 

"E.  ROBINSON,  J.  P." 

Then  follows  a  long  address  from  the  Twelve, 
from  which  we  copy  only  the  concluding  para- 
graph : 

*  *  We  hope  that  what  we  have  written  may  suf- 
fice, and  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  our 
decided  and  unqualified  disapprobation  of  anything 
like  theft,  in  all  its  bearings,  as  being  calculated  to 
destroy  the  peace  of  society,  to  injure  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ,  to  wound  the  character  of  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  and  to  stamp  with  eternal  infamy  all 
who  follow  such  diabolical  practices,  to  blast  their 


192  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

character  on  earth,  and  to  consign  them  to  eternal 
perdition. 

"  (Signed), 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG,  ORSON  HYDE, 

HEBER  C.  KIMBALL,  WILLIAM  SMITH, 

PARLEY  P.  PRATT,  ORSON  PRATT, 

JOHN  E.  PAGE,  WILFORD  WOODRUFF, 

WILLARD  RICHARDS,  JOHN  TAYLOR, 

LYMAN  WIGHT,  GEORGE  A.  SMITH. 

"Nauvoo,  III.,  Dec.  7,  1841." 

Next  follows  another  affidavit  from  the  prophet 
himself,  without  doubt  in  his  own  language  and  of 
his  own  composition  : 

"  CITY  OF  NAUVOO,  Nov.  20,  A.D.  1841. 
*  «  To  THE  PUBLIC  : — The  transpiration  of  recent 
events  makes  it  criminal  in  me  to  remain  longer 
silent.  The  tongue  of  the  vile  yet  speaks,  and 
sends  forth  the  poison  of  asps ;  the  ears  of  the 
spoiler  yet  hear,  and  he  puts  forth  his  hand  to 
iniquity.  It  has  been  proclaimed  upon  the  house- 
top, and  in  the  secret  chamber,  in  the  public  walks 
and  private  circle,  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  this  vast  continent,  that  stealing  by  the 
Latter-Day  Saints  has  received  my  approval ;  nay, 
that  I  have  taught  the  doctrine,  encouraged  them 
in  plunder,  and  led  on  the  van — than  which  noth- 
ing is  more  foreign  from  my  heart.  I  disfellowship 
the  perpetrators  of  all  such  abominations ;  they  are 
devils  and  not  Saints,  totally  unfit  for  the  society 
of  Christians  or  men.  It  is  true,  that  some  profess- 
ing to  be  Latter-Day  Saints  have  taught  such  vile 
heresies,  but  all  are  not  Israel  that  are  of  Israel ; 
and  I  wish  it  to  be  distinctly  understood,  that  in 
all  coming  time,  that  the  church  over  which  I  have, 
the  honor  of  presiding,  will  ever  set  its  brows  like 


MUCH    ADO    ABOUT    THEFT.  193 

brass,  and  its  face  like  steel,  against  all  such  abom- 
inable acts  of  villainy  and  crime  :  and  to  this  end  I 
append  my  affidavit  of  disavowal,  taken  this  day 
before  General  Bennett,  that  there  may  be  no  mis- 
take hereafter  as  to  my  real  sentiments,  or  those 
of  the  leaders  of  the  church,  in  relation  to  this  im- 
portant matter  :  " 

"  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,.) 

Hancock  County.     5    ' 

'•Before  me,  John  C.  Bennett,  Mayor  of  the 
City  of  Nauvoo,  personally  came  Joseph  Smith, 
President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints  (commonly  called  Mormons),  who, 
being  duly  sworn  according  to  law,  deposeth  and 
sayeth,  that  he  has  never  directly  or  indirectly,  en- 
couraged the  purloining  of  property,  or  taught  the 
doctrine  of  stealing,  or  any  other  evil  practice,  and 
that  all  such  vile  and  unlawful  acts  will  ever  re- 
ceive his  unqualified  and  unreserved  disapproval, 
and  the  most  vigorous  opposition  of  the  church 
over  which  he  presides,  and  further  this  deponent 
saith  not. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH, 

"President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints. 


" 


Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  at  my 
office,  in  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  this  29th  day  of  Ko- 
vember,  Anno  Domini,  1841. 

<  *  JOHN  C.  BENNETT, 
"  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo." 

"  Now,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  none  hereafter  will 
be  so  reckless  as  to  state  that  I,  or  the  church  to 
which  I  belong,  approve  of  thieving,  but  that  all  the 
friends  of  law  and  order^will  join  in  ferreting  out 
thieves  wherever  and  whenever  thev  may  be  found, 


194  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

and  assist  in  bringing  them  to  that  condign  punish- 
ment which   such   infamous  crimes  so  richly  merit. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH, 

"President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints." 

Nor  was  this  all.  The  Legion  got  after  a  brace 
of  thieves  and  ran  them  clear  through  the  Circum- 
locution Office : 

COURT-MARTIAL. 

"  CITY  or  NAUVOO,  Nov.  30,  1841. 
"  To  Brevet  Maj.-Gen.  Wilson  Law: — 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  General 
Court-Martial,  detailed  by  you,  on  the  order  of 
Lieut. -Gen.  Smith,  through  Maj.-Gen.  Bennett,  for 
the  trial  of  David  Smith  and  Joseph  Holbrook, 
officers  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  charged  with  theft, 
and  being  accessory  thereto,  are  of  the  opinion  that 
they  are  guilty  of  the  charge  preferred  against 
them,  and  our  unanimous  decision  is  that  they  be 
cashiered,  and  their  names  be  stricken  from  the 
rank  roll. 

"  Witness  against  David  Smith  :  Hazen  Kimball. 

"Witness  against  Joseph  Holbrook:  B.  Young 
and  W.  Richards. 

"  HYRUM  SMITH, 

Brev.  Brig. -Gen.  and  President  of  the  Court. 
WM.  LAW,  Brevet  Maj.-Gen. 
C.  C.  RICH,  Brig. -Gen.  2d  Cohort. 
H.  MCFALL,  Adj. -Gen. 
DANIEL  H.  WELLS,  Com. -Gen. 
S.  BENT,  Col.  3d  Reg.  2d  Cohort. 
T.  BILLINGS,  Col.  1st  Reg.  2d  Cohort. 
J.  T.  BARNETT, 

Capt.  M  Co.  1st  R<*g.  2d  Cohort. 

Members  of  the  Court" 


MUCH    ADO    ABOUT    THEFT.  195 

"  To  Maj.-Gen.  Bennett : — I  approve  of  the  above 
decision,  and  submit  it  to  you  for  action  on  the 
case. 

"  WILSON  LAAV,  Brevet  Maj.-Gen.'" 

"  To  Lt.-Gen.  Smith  : — The  General  Court-Mar- 
tial detailed  for  the  trial  of  David  Smith  and  Joseph 
Holbrook,  officers  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  have  made 
the  above  report  to  me,  and  asked  my  concurrence 
in  the  same,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  can- 
not be  withheld;  it  is,  therefore,  submitted  to  you 
for  your  final  approval  or  disapproval. 

"  JOHN  C.  BENNETT,  Maj.-Gen." 
<  'Approved  : 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Lt.-Gen." 

And  the  culprit  officers  heaved  big  sighs  0f  relief, 
and  escaped  the  legal  punishment  due  to  their 
crimes  ;  while  the  people  of  the  county  put  extra 
locks  on  their  doors. 


196  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE    GAME    OF    HABEAS    CORPUS. 

ARREST  OF  SMITH  AT  QUINCY,  1841 — TRIAL  BEFORE  JUDGE 
DOUGLAS  AT  MONMOUTII  AND  DISCHARGE  —  ATTEMPTED 
ASSASSINATION  OF  GOVERNOR  BOGGS  OF  MISSOURI — 0.  P. 
ROCKWELL  CHARGED  WITH  THE  CRIME — NEW  DEMAND  FOR 
SMITH  AND  ROCKWELL — ARREST  IN  NAUVOO — HABEAS  COR- 
PUS APPLIED  BY  THE  MUNICIPAL  COURT — FORD'S  STATE- 
MENT— RE-ARREST  AND  TRIAL  BEFORE  JUDGE  POPE  AND 
DISCHARGE — THE  WRITS,  ETC. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  the  prophet  and  three 
or  four  of  his  associates  had  made  their  escape  from 
prison  in  Missouri,  and  were  consequently  re- 
garded as  fugitives  from  justice.  .  It  was  after- 
wards asserted,  and  was  probably  true,  that  their 
escape  was  effected  by  the  connivance  or  gross 
carelessness  of  the  officers  in  charge.  At  any  rate, 
it  is  believed  that  the  Missouri  authorities  were 
quite  willing  to  be  relieved  of  their  presence.  If 
this  were  really  so,  there  can  be  no  valid  reason 
shown,  why  efforts  should  be  again  made  to  obtain 
.them.  Yet  Missouri  justice,  or  Missouri  ven- 
geance, was  not  satisfied;  for,  on  June  5,  1841, 
Mr.  Smith,  being  in  Quincy,  was  arrested  on  a 
warrant  from  Governor  Carl  in,  on  a  requisition 
from  the  Governor  of  Missouri.  Smith's  counsel 


THE  GAME  OP  HABEAS  CORPUS.         197 

at  once  obtained-  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from 
Calvin  A.  Warren,  Esq.,  Master  in  Chancery  for 
Adams  County — Judge  Douglas  being  then  absent 
holding  court  at  Monmouth,  Warren  County.  But 
coining  home  to  Quincy  before  the  trial  of  the  writ, 
he  ordered  the  writ  and  the  prisoner  to  be  sent  to 
Monmouth  for  a  hearing  on  the  following  Monday. 
This  was  done,  and  after  argument  of  counsel,  the 
prisoner  was  discharged,  on  the  ground  that  the 
writ  had  been  once  returned  before  it  was  served, 
and  was  functus  officio. 

The  warrant  for  arrest,  it  appeared,  had  before 
been  in  the  hands  of  an  officer,  who,  through  fear, 
or  for  some  other  cause,  had  returned  it  to  the  ex- 
ecutive office.  This  arrest  and  discharge  of  the 
prophet  caused  much  excitement  and  comment,  at 
Nauvoo  and  elsewhere.  The  decision  of  the  judge 
was  generally  accepted  as  correct ;  yet  a  strong 
suspicion  prevailed  that  the  whole  thing  was  ar- 
ranged and  concocted  for  political  effect.  Of  this 
we  know  of  no  existing  proof. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  May,  1842,  the 
people  near  his  residence  in  Missouri,  were  startled 
to  learn  that  during  the  night  an  attempt  had  been 
made  to  assassinate  ex-Governor  Boggs  of  that 
State.  He  had  been  fired  at  through  his  window, 
as  he  sat  reading  in  his  room,  and  seriously  but 
not  fatally  wounded.  The  assassin,  who  was  after- 


198  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

wards  strongly  suspected  to  have  been  the  notorious 
Orrin  P.  Rockwell,  of  Nauvoo,  made  his  escape. 
This  man  was  known,  far  and  wide,  to  be  a  des- 
perado, and  was  believed  to  be  an  active  member 
of  the  Danite  Band.  Though  sometimes  denounced 
by  the  church  organ  as  a  bad  man,  he  was  no- 
toriously, through  the  whole  period  of  eight  years, 
kept  in  close  intimacy  with  Smith  and  the  leaders. 
Rockwell  had  been  absent  from  the  city  for  some 
time  previous  to  the  attempt  on  the  life  of  the  ex- 
Governor,  and  on  his  return  openly  boasted  that 
he  had  been  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Governor's  resi- 
dence, visiting  friends.  He  died  a  few  years  ago 
at  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  had  held  much  the 
same  position  under  the  authorities  there  as  he  had 
maintained  under  the  prophet — feared  by  Gentile 
enemies  and  apostates  as  a  "  destroying  angel." 

That  this  man  was  the  actual  would-be-murderer 
of  Governor  Boggs,  and  that  he  was  commissioned 
by  Smith  to  do  the  deed,  can  scarcely  admit  of 
doubt.  The  prophet  hud  declared  that  Boggs 
would  die  a  violent  death ;  and  he  had  stated  that 
Rockwell  had  gone  "  to  fulfil  prophecy."  Nearly 
all  seceders  subsequent  to  the  event  agreed  in 
maintaining  the  truth  of  the  charge,  including 
Major-General  Bennett,  and  Brigham  Young  him- 
self. 

In  the  light  of  such  proofs  as  are  given  in  chap- 


THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.         1W 

tor  X.  of  this  work,  it  is  not  difficult  to  believe 
Unit  O.  P.  Rockwell  was  sent  to  kill  ex-Governor 
Boggs. 

The  hostility  of  the  Missouri  ans  toward  the 
prophet  was  intensified  by  this  attempt  upon  the 
life  of  their  former  governor ;  and  in  August  a 
new  demand  reached  Governor  Carlin  at  Quincy, 
for  Rockwell,  as  principal,  and  Smith,  as  accessory. 
Accordingly,  the  Governor  issued  a  warrant  for 
their  arrest,  which  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  an 
officer  during  the  week  after  the  August  election. 
He  repaired  to  Nauvoo  on  Monday,  the  8th,  and 
made  the  arrest  without  difficulty.  The  prisoners 
were  immediately  taken  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus 
issued  by  the  municipal  court  of  the  city,  brought 
before  that  body,  and  at  once  discharged.  The 
officer  insisting  that  the  court  had  no  jurisdiction, 
and  that  the  discharge  was  illegal,  it  was  agreed 
by  Smith,  that  if  the  writ  should  be  returned  to 
the  Governor,  with  the  indorsement  that  the  prison- 
ers had  been  discharged  by  the  municipal  court, 
he  would  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  obey,  in  case 
the  Governor  should  again  send  for  him.  The  officer 
thereupon  returned  to  Quincy  ;  but  wTas  despatched 
back  again  by  the  executive,  with  orders  to  re- 
arrest  them  at  all  hazards.  In  the  mean  time  Smith 
had  taken  legal  counsel,  and  when  the  officer  ar- 
rived had  disappeared.  It  .is  believed  that  he  was 


200  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

secreted  somewhere  in  the  city.  The  name  of 
Rockwell  seems  to  have  somehow  been  dropped. 
Why  no  effort  was  ever  afterwards  made  to  procure 
him,  who  was  clearly  amenable  to  the  laws  of  Mis- 
souri, was  never  well  understood  by  the  public. 

A  clause  in  the  city  charter  of  Nauvoo  provided 
that  * '  the  municipal  court  shall  have  power  to 
grant  writs  of  habeas  corpus  in  all  cases  arising 
under  the  ordinances  of  the  city  council."  It  was 
under  this  grant,  construed  to  include  all  cases  of 
arrest,  that  the  court  claimed  its  authority  to  take 
the  prisoners  from  the  officer  and  set  them  at 
liberty ;  and  it  was  the  knowledge  that  this  would 
l)e  done,  which  induced  them  so  willingly  to  sub- 
mit to  arrest.  We  find  an  ordinance  of  the  city 
council,  dated  the  8th  day  of  August,  the  date  of 
the  arrest ;  but  whether  passed  in  anticipation  of 
that  event,  or  subsequent  to  it,  and  to  guard  against 
the  future,  does  not  appear.  It  provides  for  a 
pro-tempore  Mayor  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  muni- 
cipal court  in  contingent  cases,  and  Smith,  when 
arrested,  held  both  those  offices.  (See  Ordinances.} 

Of  course  the  discharge  was  flagrantly  illegal. 
And  thus  the  matter  rested  until  the  following 
year,  and  Governor  Carlin's  term  having  expired, 
Governor  Thomas  Ford  occupied  the  executive 
chair.  Quoting  from  Ford's  History  of  Illinois, 
he  says — page  314  : 


THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.         201 

*4As  I  before  said,  Governor  Carlin,  in  1842, 
had  issued  his  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Joe  Smith,* 
as  a  fugitive  from  justice  in  Missouri.  This  war- 
rant had  never  been  executed,  and  was  still  out- 
standing when  I  came  into  office.  The  Mormons 

% 

were  desirous  of  having  the  cause  of  arrest  legally 
tried  in  the  federal  court.  Upon  their  application 
a  duplicate  warrant  was  issued  in  the  winter  of 
1842-3,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Sheriff  of 
Sangamon  County.  Upon  this,  Joe  Smith  came  to 
Springfield  and  surrendered  himself  as  a  prisoner. 
A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  obtained  from.  Judge 
Pope  of  the  federal  court,  and  Smith  wras  dis- 
charged." 

As  much  controversy  arose  concerning  this  dis- 
charge by  Judge  Pope,  and  as  the  papers  in  the 
case  illustrate  the  method  of  "  How  not  to  do  it," 
we  copy  them  in  full,  with  the  Judge's  reasons 
for  the  prisoner's  discharge.  The  following  are 
the  official  papers  in  the  case — the  italics  are  our 
own : 

"  STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  ) 

County  of  Jackson,     5 

"  This  day  personally  appeared  before  me,  Sam- 
uel Weston,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  within  and  for 
the  County  of  Jackson,  the  subscriber,  Lilburn  "W. 
Boggs,  who  being  duly  sworn  doth  depose  and  say, 
that  on  the  night  of  the  6th  day  of  May,  1842, 
while  sitting  in  his  dwelling  in  the  town  of  Inde- 
pendence, in  the  County  of  Jackson,  he  was  shot 
with  intent  to  kill,  and  that  his  life  was  despaired 

*  Governor  Ford  had  little  respect  for  the  Mormon  prophet, 
and  usually  designated  him  by  the  nick-name  "  Joe." 


202  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

of  for  several  days  ;  and  that  he  believes,  and  has 
good  reason  to  believe,  from  evidence  and  infor- 
mation now  in  his  possession,  that  Joseph  Smith, 
commonly  called  the  Mormon  prophet,  was  acces- 
sory before  the  fact  of  the  intended  murder,  and 
that  the  said  Joseph  Smith  is  a  citizen  or  resident 
of  the  State  of  Illinois;  and  that  the  said  deponent 
hereby  applies  to  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri to  make  demand  on  the  Governor  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  to  deliver  the  said  Joseph  Smith,  com- 
monly called  the  Mormon  prophet,  to  some  person 
authorized  to  receive  and  convey  him  to  the  State 
and  custody  aforesaid,  there  to  be  dealt  with  ac- 
cording to  law. 

"  LILBURN  W.  BOGGS." 

"  Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  this  20th 
day  of  July,  1842. 

"  SAMUEL  WESTON,  J.  P." 

"  The  Governor  of  the  State  of  Missouri  to  the 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  GREETING: 

"  WHEREAS,  it  appears  by  the  annexed  docu- 
ment, which  is  hereby  certified  to  be  authentic, 
that  one  Joseph  Smith  is  a  fugitive  from  justice, 
charged  with  being  accessory  before  the  fact,  to 
an  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  made  by  one  0.  P. 
Rockwell,  on  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  in  this  State ;  and 
it  is  represented  to  the  executive  department  of 
this  State,  has  fled  to  the  State  of  Illinois : 

"  Xow,  therefore,  I,  Thomas  Reynolds,  Governor 
of  the  said  State  of  Missouri,  by  virtue  of  the 
authority  in  me  vested  by  the  constitution  and 
laws  of  the  United  States,  do  by  these  presents, 
demand  the  surrender  and  delivery  of  the  said 
Joseph  Smith  to  Edward  R.  Ford,  who  is  hereby 
appointed  as  the  agent  to  receive  the  said  Joseph 
Smith,  on  the  part  of  the  State.  In  testimony,  etc." 


THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  COSPVS.         20:; 

"  The  People  of  the,  State  of  Illinois,  to  the  Sheriff 
of  Sangamon  County,  GREETING  : 

"  WHEREAS,  it  has  been  made  known  to  me  by 
the  executive  authority  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
that  one  Joseph  Smith  stands  charged  by  the  affi- 
davit of  one  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  made  on  the  20th 
day  of  July,  1842,  at  the  County  of  Jackson,  in 
the  State  of  Missouri,  before  Samuel  Western,  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  within  and  for  the  County  of 
Jackson  aforesaid,  with  being  accessory  before  the 
fact,  to  an  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  made  by  one 
0.  P.  Rockwell  on  Lilbum  W.  Boggs,  on  the  night 
of  the  6th  day  of  May,  1842,  ^at  the  County  of 
Jackson,  in  said  State  of  Missouri,  and  that  the 
said  Joseph  Smith  had  fled  from  the  justice  of  said 
State,  and  taken  refuge  in  the  State  of  Illinois: 

"Now,  therefore,  I,  Thomas  Ford,  Governor  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  pursuant  to  the  constitution 
and  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  of  this  State,  do 
hereby  command  you  to  arrest  and  apprehend  the 
said  Joseph  Smith,  if  he  be  found  within  the  limits 
of  the  State  aforesaid,  and  cause  him  to  be  safely 
kept,  and  delivered  to  the  custody  of  Edward  R. 
Ford,  who  has  been  duly  constituted  the  agent  of 
the  said  State  of  Missouri,  to  receive  said  fugitive 
from  the  justice  of  said  State — he  paying  all  fees  and 
charges  for  the  arrest  and  apprehension  of  the  said 
Joseph  Smith — and  make  due  return  to  the  ex- 
ecutive department  of  this  State,  of  the  manner  in 
which  this  writ  may  be  executed.  In  testimony 
whereof,  etc." 

And  now,  at  the  distance  of  near  a  half  century 
from  the  date  of  these  events,  and  regarding  the 
writs  and  the  facts  in  the  light  of  reason  and  com- 
mon sense,  it  seems  like  mere  boy's  play  that  these 
chief  magistrates  of  two  great  States,  and  other 


204  THE    PROPHET    OP    PALMYRA. 

officials,  were  engaged  in ;  or,  worse  still,  that 
they  were  purposely  issuing  writs  which  they  knew 
to  be  defective,  in  order  to  avoid  the  responsibility 
resting  upon  them  as  conservators  of  the  peace  and 
upholders  of  the  law's  majesty.  The  writs  were 
illegal  and  wrong — first,  because  if  Joseph  Smith 
did  send  Orrin  P.  Rockwell  to  Missouri  to  kill 
Governor  Boggs,  his  offense  was  not  against  the 
State  of  Missouri,  but  against  the  State  of  Illinois, 
of  which  he  was  a  resident  and  citizen,  and  by  Illi- 
nois laws  and  in  her  courts  must  he  be  arraigned 
for  trial  and  punishment.  Secondly,  Governor 
Boggs's  affidavit  plainly  charges  that  Smith  is  a 
"  resident  and  citizen  of  the  State  of  Illinois  ;  "  and 
hence,  for  Governor  Reynolds  and  Governor  Ford 
to  say  that  he  had  "fled  from  the  justice  of  the 
State  of  Missouri,"  was  a  palpable  and  unwarrant- 
able perversion  of  fact,  not  only  as  stated  by  Boggs, 
but  as  they  all  knew  it  to  exist. 

So  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  these  officials  knew, 
and  the  prophet  knew,  before  he  submitted  himself 
as  a  prisoner  at  Springfield,  that  Judge  Pope  must 
certainly  discharge  him.  And  he  did  discharge 
him,  chiefly  on  the  grounds  above  stated,  in  these 
words  : 

"The  court  can  alone  regard  the  facts  as  set 
forth  in  the  affidavit  of  Boggs,  as  having  any  legal 
existence.  The  mis-recitals  and  over-statements 


TIIK  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.         205 

in  the  requisition  and  warrant  are  not  supported 
by  oath  and  cannot  be  received  as  evidence  to  de- 
prive a  citizen  of  his  liberty,  and  transport  him  to 
a  foreign  State  for  trial.  For  these  reasons  Smith 
must  be  discharged." 


206  THE    PEOPHET   OF 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

MORE    HABEAS    CORPUS    WORK. 

ANOTHER  INDICTMENT  AND  DEMAND — CONGRESSIONAL  CAN- 
VASS— WALKER  AND  HOGE — ARREST  AT  DIXON — GREAT 
EXCITEMENT — THE  OFFICERS  AS  PRISONERS— THE  PROPHET 
TRIUMPHANT — A  STRANGE  CAVALCADE — ANOTHER  HABEAS 
CORPUS — LAWYER  SOUTHWICK'S  STATEMENT — RESULT  OF 
THE  CANVASS — BROTHER  HYRUM'S  REVELATION — WALKER 
DEFEATED. 

THE  interesting  and  exciting  game  of  < '  Demand 
and  Discharge,"  played  by  the  two  Governors,  was 
not  yet  brought  to  an  end.  Major-General  Ben- 
nett (as  will  be  recounted  in  a  future  chapter), 
quarrelled  with  his  chief,  and  was  discomfited  and 
disgraced,  and  compelled  to  leave  the  city.  True 
to  his  threat,  he  had  gone  to  Missouri  and  had  suc- 
ceeded in  procuring  another  indictment  against  his 
old  friend,  and  another  requisition.  Ford's  history 
states  that  this  indictment  and  requisition  included 
both  Smith  and  Rockwell"  for  the  attempt  upon 
Governor  Boggs.  But  Mr.  Southwick,  one  of 
Smith's  attorneys  in  the  case,  stated  that  they  were 
for  Smith  alone,  on  the  charge  of  "  treason  against 
the  government  of  Missouri " — the  old  offence.  As 
no  after  attempt  was  made  to  arrest  Rockwell,  this 
latter  statement  is  probably  the  correct  one.  On 


MORE    HABEAS    C OKI* US    WOEK.          207 

this  requisition,  Governor  Ford  issued  his  warrant 
for  the  arrest  of  the  prophet,  and  placed  it  in  the 
hands  of  Harman  T.  Wilson  of  Carthage,  a  bold 
and  fearless  Deputy  Sheriff,  with  instructions  to 
serve,  and  place  the  prisoner  in  the  care  of  Joseph 
H.  Reynolds,  the  agent  of  Missouri,  who  accom- 
panied him. 

Before  proceeding  to  relate  occurrences  in  con- 
nection with  this  arrest,  we  must  go  back  and 
review  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  county  at  the 
time.  In  the  year  1843  it  was  not  deemed  expe- 
dient, nor  was  it  possible,  to  keep  up  the  Anti- 
Mormon  organization.  Whig  politicians  had  hopes 
of  receiving  the  Mormon  vote — or  at  least  of  divid- 
ing it.  Smith  had  been  released  from  arrest  by 
Judge  Pope,  a  Whig,  and  his  cause  had  been  ably 
argued  by  Whig  lawyers.  The  Democrats  also 
desired  a  party  organization,  and  expected  to  retain 
the  vote  because  they  had  heretofore  secured  it,  and  , 
no  reason  was  manifest  for  a  change.  The  Warsaw 
Message  (Whig)  had  succeeded  for  a  time  the 
Anti-Mormon  Signal,  and  its  political  editor 
strongly  favored  distinct  Whig  action  and  a  full 
Whig  local  and  general  ticket.  On  the  10th  of 
May  a  Whig  Congressional  district  convention  was 
held  at  Rock  Island,  at  which  Mormon  delegates 
attended.  Cyrus  Walker  of  Macomb,  was  unan- 
imously chosen  as  the  candidate  for  Congress. 


208  THE'   PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

Joseph  P.  Hoge  of  Galena,  was  about  the  s;mie  date 
nominated* by  a  Democratic  convention  as  his  com- 
petitor. The  district  (the  fifth)  was  very  Linro, 
embracing  the  fifteen  northwestern  counties  of  Jo 
Daviess,  Carroll,  Stephenson,  Winnebago,  Ogle, 
Whiteside,  Rock  Island,  Mercer,  Warren,  Hender- 
son, McDonough,  Stark,  Lee,  Knox,  and  Hancock, 
the  latter  being  the  most  southern. 

The  two  Congressional  candidates  were  repre- 
sentative men  of  their  respective  parties,  and  per- 
sonally popular.*  Mr.  Walker  was  an  old  lawyer 
of  distinction  in  the  State,  of  the  class  to  which 
Lincoln,  McConnell,  Bissell,  Baker,  Williams, 
Browning,  and  Edwards  belonged,  and  was  regarded 
as  the  peer  of  any  of  them.  Mr.  Hoge  was  a 
younger  and  newer  man,  but  was  talented,  ener- 
getic, and  a  good  stump  orator.  He  had  never  been 
in  any  way  identified  with  the  Mormons,  having  his 
residence  in  a  county  the  most  remote  from  them 
in  the  district.  Walker  was  supposed  to  be  in 
good  favor  at  Nauvoo,  as  he  had  on  several  occa- 
sions acted  as  counsel  to  the  prophet. . 

Soon  after  the  nominations,  the  campaign  of  the 
district  began  with  great  vigor.  To  make  a  thorough 
canvass  in  so  large  a  district,  required  a  great  deal 
of  time  and  a  great  amount  of  physical  energy,  it 
being  necessary  to  address  the  people  in  three  or 
four,  and  often  eight  or  ten,  places  in  a  single 


MOPE    HABEAS    COHPUS    WOEK.          209 

county.  Irrespective  of  the  Mormon  vote,  there 
was  a  decided  Whig  majority  in  the  district,  and 
the  probabilities  were  strongly  in  favor  of  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Whig  candidate. 

So  stood  affairs  when  the  new  warrant  for  Smith's 
arrest  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  officer.  Learn- 
ing  that  Smith  and  his  wife  were  on  a  visit  to  her 
relatives  at  Palestine  Grove  in  Lee  County,  toward 
the  north  end  of  the  district,  and  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  from  Xauvoo,  the  officer,  in 
company  with  the  Missouri  agent,  quietly  repaired 
thither.  They  found  the  prophet  at  the  house  of 
his  friend,  arrested  him,  and  placing  him  in  a  car- 
riage, started  by  way  of  Dixon,  the  county  seat. 
Here  the  prisoner  was  allowed  to  consult  with  law- 
yers, who  procured  for  him  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus 
from  the  Master  in  Chancery  of  said  county.  This 
writ  was  made  returnable  before  Judge  Caton  at 
Ottawa,  in  whose  circuit  they  were.  This  proceed- 
ing placed  the  officers  with  their  prisoner  in  the 
hands  of  the  Sheriff  of  Lee  County.  The  following 
morning  they  started  for  Ottawa,  distant  about 
forty  miles,  and  after  travelling  three-fourths  of  the 
distance,  were  informed  that  Judge  Caton  was  tem- 
porarily absent  from  the  State,  when  they  returned 
to  Dixon. 

Before  starting  for  Ottawa,  Smith  had  entered 
suit  in  the  Lee  circuit  court  for  false  imprisonment 


210  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

against  Wilson  and  Reynolds ;  and  being  unable  to 
procure  bail,  they  were  held  in  the  custody  of  the 
Sheriff.  Against  this  arrest,  the  officers  in  turn 
procured  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  returnable  before 
Judge  Young  at  Quincy,  in  their  own  circuit,  and 
this  writ  was  also  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Lee 
Sheriff.  After  the  return  to  Dixon,  Smith  pro- 
cured another  writ  of  habeas  corpus  (as  a  substitute 
for  the  first  one)  returnable  before  the  < <  nearest 
tribunal  in  the  Fifth  Judicial  Circuit,  authorized 
to  hear  qnd  determine  writs  of  habeas  corpus." 
The  fifth  circuit  embraced  Quincy,  the  residence  of 
Judge  Young,  and  Nauvoo,  the  residence  of  the 
prophet,  with  a  municipal  court  claiming  the  right 
to  hear  and  determine  writs  of  habeas  corpus  in  all 
cases.  (  !  ) 

These  proceedings  completely  turned  the  tables 
upon  the  two  officers,  and  filled  the  hands  of  the 
Lee  Sheriff  with  prisoners  and  his  pockets  with 
writs.  Instead  of  the  prophet  for  their  prisoner, 
they  found  themselves  under  arrest  and  unable  to 
give  bail,  with  Smith  really  a  free  man.  The  fiat 
had  already  gone  forth  that  he  was  to  be  discharged  ; 
for  was  not  the  Nauvoo  municipal  court  nearer 
by  forty  miles  than  the  court  of  the  honorable  Judge 
Young  at  Quincy?  and  was  not  Smith  himself  the 
Mayor  of  said  city  and  presiding  officer  of  its 
court. 


MOKJE    HABEAS    CORPUS    WOKE.         211 

Smith's  arrest  was  made  on  Thursday,  the  23d 
of  June,  and  on  Monday,  the  27th,  the  cavalcade, 
consisting  of  Wilson,  Reynolds,  and  Smith  ;  Messrs. 
Walker,  Southwick,  and  Patrick,  the  counsel  of 
Smith ;  McKay,  employed  by  Reynolds  to  guard 
Smith  ;  Sanger,  the  owner  of  the  stage  coach  ;  Mc- 
Comsey,  the  driver  of  one  of  the  teams  employed ; 
Ross,  driver  of  the  coach ;  Mason,  attorney  for 
Reynolds  and  Wilson ;  Wasson,  the  relative  of 
Smith's  wife,  at  whose  house  the  arrest  was  made  ; 
Montgomery,  son-in-law  and  travelling  companion 
with  Walker ;  and  Mr.  Campbell,  Sheriff  of  Lee 
County,  all  started  from  Dixon  southward  in  the 
direction  of  Nauvoo  and  Quincy.  Where  were  they 
going,  and  what  were  they  going  for?  The  officer 
had  in  his  pocket  two  writs  of  habeas  corpus,  di- 
recting him  to  convey  the  persons  therein  named, 
one  to  Judge  Young  of  Quincy,  and  the  other  to 
the  nearest  authorized  court  in  the  Fifth  Judicial 
District,  to  hear  and  determine  on  habeas  corpus. 
It  is  not  too  severe  a  judgment  to  say  that  all  four 
of  those  legal  gentlemen  well  knew  that  the  place 
where  both  those  writs  were  properly  returnable, 
was  Judge  Young's  court  at  Quincy.  Besides,  in 
a  legal  sense,  it  was  necessary  and  proper  that  the 
writ  procured  by  Wilson  and  Reynolds  should  be 
the  first  heard  and  determined.  Instead,  they 
travelled  directly  to  Nauvoo.  The  conclusion  is 


212  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

unavoidable,  that  when  the  second  writ  was  obtained 
by  Smith,  the  purpose  was  to  carry  them  to  that 
nondescript  Nauvoo  tribunal.  We  have  the  testi- 
mony of  one  of  the  attorneys  to  that  effect.  Mr. 
South  wick  said,  in  a  communication  to  the  Warsaw 
Message : 

"  No  threat  or  intimidation  was  used  by  any  per- 
son whatever,  to  induce  Mr.  Campbell,  the  Sheriff 
of  Lee  County,  to  go  to  Nauvoo  with  Reynolds ; 
and  Mr.  Campbell  well  knew  before  starting  from 
Dixon,  that  it  was  the  determination  of  the  whole 
company  to  go  to  Nauvoo,  he  particularly  consent- 
ing to  the  same.  The  stage  was  also  chartered  to 
go  to  Nauvoo.  /Smith  said  before  leaving  Dixon, 
that  he  should  submit  to  the  law,  and  appeared  de- 
sirous to  do  so." 

"  Smith  pledged  his  word,"  continued  Mr.  South- 
wick,  "  previous  to  his  arrival  in  Nauvoo,  that 
Reynolds  should  not  be  harmed  " ;  and  he  was  not. 
He  and  Wilson  were  even  invited  to  dine  with  the 
prophet  at  his  home,  which  they  did,  and  were 
introduced  to  his  family. 

Another  writ  of  habeas  corpus  !  Says  Southwick  : 

"In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  said  arrival,  a 
writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  issued  by  the  municipal 
court  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  directed  to  Reynolds, 
requiring  him  to  bring  before  said  court  the  body 
of  said  Smith  ;  which  he  accordingly  did,  objecting, 
however,  to  the  same,  that  said  court  had  no  juris- 
diction in  the  case." 

Of  course  he  objected ;  the  above,  however, 
contains  one  slight  mistake :  it  was  Smith  that 


MORE   HABEAS    CORPUS    WORK.         213 

brought  Reynolds  before  the  municipal  court.    The 
report  continues : 

"The  counsel  of  Smith,  however,  appeared  to 
entertain  a  different  opinion  as  to  the  jurisdiction 
of  said  court,  and  the  examination  was  had  before 
them,  and  Smith  discharged  upon  the  merits  of  the 
case,  and  upon  the  substantial  defects  in  the  war- 
rant." 

And  this  is  what  the  ' '  opinion  "  of  those  learned 
counsel  was  based  on — a  clause  in  the  Xauvoo 
charter:  **  The  municipal  court  shall  have  power 
to  grant  writs  of  habeas  corpus  in  all  cases  arising 
under  the  ordinances  of  the  city  council. ,"(  !  ) 

When  Smith  was  arrested,  it  so  happened  that 
both  Walker  and  Iloge,  the  candidates  for  Con- 
gress", were  canvassing  in  the  vicinity  of  Dixon. 
In  addition  to  the  two  Dixon  attorneys,  Smith  sent 
for  Walker.  This  gentleman  left  his  appointments, 
and,  as  we  have  seen,  rode  with  the  cavalcade  to 
Nauvoo ;  and  it  is  said,  there  made  a  three-hour 
speech  in  favor  of  Smith's  discharge.  Governor 
Ford's  history  states  that  both  he  and  Hoge,  from  the 
public  stand  in  that  city,  afterwards  declared  their 
belief  in  the  existence  of  the  power  claimed  by  the 
municipal  court. 

Being  thus  signally  baffled,  the  Missouri  agent 
applied  to  Governor  Ford  for  a  military  force  to 
enable  him  to  retake  Smith  ;  and  Mr.  Walker,  a* 
Smith's  attorney,  repaired  to  Springfield  to  resist 


214  TJIE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

the  application.  After  considerable  delay,  the  Gov- 
ernor declined  to  grant  Reynolds' s  request,  and  the 
matter  was  dropped. 

Thus  ended  another  move,  and  the  last  one,  in 
the  interesting  game  of  "  Demand  and  Discharge," 
which  the  executives  of  two  great  States  had  for 
two  or  three  years  been  playing. 

While  these  legal  proceedings  were  being  enacted 
up  north,  tremendous  excitement  existed  at  Nauvoo 
and  over  Hancock  County.  As  soon  as  possible 
after  the  arrest,  the  news  thereof  had  been  sent  to 
the  city  by  swift  messenger,  and  hasty  preparations 
were  made  for  their  chiefs  rescue.  But  it  was  not 
known  what  route  would  be  taken  by  the  Missouri 
officer  with  his  prisoner.  It  was  conjectured  that 
he  might  drive  eastward,  and  take  steamer  at  the 
nearest  point  on  the  Illinois  river,  and  so  down  to 
St.  Louis ;  or  that  he  might  aim  for  a  Mississippi 
steamer  at  Rock  Island ;  or  that  they  might  take 
a  land  route  across  the  country.  All  these  con- 
tingencies were  provided  for.  A  little  steamer, 
owned  and  employed  at  Nauvoo,  was  armed,  it  was 
said,  with  a  cannon  or  two,  and  manned,  and  sent 
down  the  Mississippi,  to  intercept  them  in  or  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois.  At  the  same  time,  squads  of 
armed  horsemen  were  sent  out  on  the  various  roads 
leading  toward  Dixon.  The  delay,  as  we  have 
seen,  at  that  place,  gave  time  for  numbers  of  these 


MOEE    HABEAS    CORPUS    WORK.         215 

horsemen  to  be  a  considerable  distance  on  their 
way  north,  before  the  party  of  prisoners  and  law- 
yers had  left  for  Nauvoo ;  and  during  the  journey 
down  it  was  met  by  many  of  them,  who  turned  and 
escorted  their  chief  back  to  the  city. 

These  events  occurred  during  the  latter  part  of 
June  and  the  first  days  of  July  ;  and  it  was  some 
time  before  Mr.  Walker  was  free  to  resume  his  can- 
vass. His  conduct,  as  well  as  that  of  Mr.  Hoge,  was 
severely  criticised.  Many  Whigs  were  highly  indig- 
nant. It  is  believed  that  the  prophet  had  intended, 
in  good  faith,  to  throw  the  Mormon  vote  to  Mr. 
Walker ;  but  owing  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  Whigs 
in  part,  and  for  the  reason  that  Reynolds'®  applica- 
tion for  a  force  was  still  held  in  terrorum  over  him, 
he  had  changed  his  policy.  Ford  himself  states 
that  a  friend  of  his,  in  his  absence,  and  in  his  name, 
had  pledged  to  a  Mormon  emissary,  that  if  they 
would  vote  the  Democratic  ticket  the  force  would 
not  be  sent. — Hist.  III.,  p.  317. 

The  Governor's  statement  of  what  occurred  at 
Xauvoo  in  regard  to  the  matter,  so  nearly  accords 
with  what  we  learned  at  the  time  from  other 
sources,  and  it  is  doubtless  true,  that  we  give  it  in 
his  own  words  : 

"A  great  meeting  was  called  of  several  thousand 
Mormons  on  Saturday  before  the  election.  Hyrum 
Smith,  patriarch  in  the  church,  and  brother  to  the 
prophet,  appeared  in  this  great  assembly,  and  there 


216  THE    PHOPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

solemnly  announced  to  the  people  that  God  had 
revealed  to  him  that  the  Mormons  must  support 
Mr.  Hoge,  the  Democratic  candidate.  William 
Law,  another  great  leader  of  the  Mormons,  next 
appeared,  and  denied  that  the  Lord  had  made  any 
such  revelation.  He  stated  that  to  his  certain 
knowledge,  the  prophet  was  in  favor  of  Mr.  Walker, 
and  that  the  prophet  was  more  likely  to  know  the 
mind  of  the  Lord  on  the  subject  than  the  patriarch. 
Hyrum  Smith  again  repeated  his  revelation  with  a 
greater  tone  of  authority.  But  the  people  remained 
in  doubt  until  the  next  day,  being  Sunda}r,  when 
Joe  himself  appeared  before  the  assembly.  He 
there  stated  that  "  he,  himself,"  was  in  favor  of  Mr. 
Walker,  and  intended  to  vote  for  him  ;  that  he 
would  not  influence  any  voter  in  giving  his  vote ; 
that  he  considered  it  a  mean  business  for  him  or  any 
other  man  to  attempt  to  dictate  to  the  people  who 
they  should  support  in  elections  ;  that  he  had  heard 
his  brother  Hyrum  had  received  a  revelation  from 
the  Lord  on  the  subject ;  that  for  his  part,  he  did 
not  much  believe  in  revelations  on  the  subject 
of  elections ;  but  brother  Hyrum  was  a  man  of 
truth ;  he  had  known  brother  Hyrum  intimately 
ever  since  he  was  a  boy,  and  he  had  never  known 
him  to  tell  a  lie.  If  brother  Hj^rum  said  he  had 
received  such  a  revelation,  he  had  no  doubt  it  was 
a  fact.  When  the  Lord  speaks,  let  all  the  earth  be 
silent." 

The  question  was  settled.  It  is  believed  that  the 
prophet,  with  Law  and  a  few  others,  did  vote  for 
Walker,  in  the  face  of  the  revelation  ;  but  the  body 
of  his  followers  voted  for  Hoge,  giving  him  2088 
votes  to  Walker's  733  in  the  county,  and  beating 
him  in  the  district  455  votes.  The  news  of  this 
revelation  at  Nauvoo  did  not  reach  the  adjoining 


MORE    HABEAS    CORPUS    WORK.          217 

district  below,  till  after  the  election  ;  and  the  Mor- 
mon vote  there  was  thrown  to  O.  H.  Browning, 
the  Whig  candidate.  To  Mr.  Walker  and  his 
friends  and  the  Whig  party  generally,  this  result 
was  most  aggravating ;  more  so  from  the  fact,  that 
by  a  straightforward  and  independent  course, 
thereby  securing  a  full  and  enthusiastic  support 
from  his  party,  it  was  believed  he  could  have  been 
elected  with  the  Mormon  vote  solid  against  him. 


218  THE    PEOPHET    OF    PALMYBA. 


CHAPTER    XXm. 

TWO    WAYS    OF    TELLING    A    STOEY. 

STORY  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  PROPHET,  AS  TOLD  BY  Two — 
THE  PROPHET'S  STORY — THE  OFFICER'S  STORY. 

THERE  is  an  adage  that  one  story  is  good  until 
another  is  told.  The  widely  differing  stories  told 
concerning  the  arrest  of  the  prophet,  chronicled  in 
the  preceding  chapter,  will  each  be  believed  by  a 
large  number  of  people — the  first,  by  the  thousands 
of  faithful  followers  of  the  prophet,  who,  like  his 
brother  Hyrum,  "  never  told  a  lie" ;  and  the  other 
by  everybody  else.  If  either  be  true,  the  arrest 
must  have  been  dramatic  in  flie  extreme.  The 
Times  and  Seasons  of  July  1,  1843,  tells  it  thus  in 
behalf  of  the  prophet : 

"  While  he  [Smith]  was  there  [at  his  wife's 
sister's  residence,  12  miles  from  Dixon]  a  Mr.  J. 
H.  Reynolds,  Sheriff  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri 
(so  he  says),  and  Mr.  Harman  Wilson  of  Carthage, 
arrived  at  Dixon,  professing  to  be  Mormon  preach- 
ers ;  from  thence  they  proceeded  to  Mr.  Wasson's, 
at  whose  house  Mr.  Smith  was  staying.  They 
found  .Air.  Smith  outside  the  door,  and  accosted 
him  in  a  very  uncouth,  ungentl emanly  manner, 
quite  in  keeping,  however,  with  the  common  P™(t- 
tice  of  Missourians.  The  following  is  as  near  the 
conversation  as  we  can  gather.  Reynolds  and  his 


TWO   WAYS  OF  TELLING  A  STOltY.       119 

coadjutor  Wilson,  both  stepped  up  at  a  time  to  Mr. 
Smith,  with  their  pistols  cocked,  and  without  show- 
ing any  writ  or  serving  any  process,  Mr.  Reynolds, 
with  his  pistol  cocked  at  Mr.  Smith's  breast,  cried 
out :  *  G — d  d — n  you  !  if  you  stir  I'll  shoot ; 
G_d  d— n  you  !  be  still  or  I'll  shoot,  by  G— d  ! ' 

'  <  *  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ? '  interrupted 
Mr.  Smith. 

"  *  I'll  show  you  the  meaning,  by  G — d  !  and  if 
you  stir  one  inch  I'll  shoot  you,  G — d  d — n  you  !' 

"'I'm  not  afraid  of  your  shooting,'  answered 
Mr.  Smith ;  *  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.'  He  then 
bared  his  breast  and  said  :  *  Shoot  away  !  I  have 
endured  so  much  of  oppression  I  am  weary  of  life, 
and  kill  me,  if  you  please.  I  am  a  strong  man, 
however,  and  with  my  own  natural  weapons  could 
soon  level  both  of  you ;  but  if  you  have  any  legal 
process  to  serve,  I  am  at  all  times  subject  to  law, 
and  shall  not  offer  resistance.' 

"*G — d  d — n  you,  if  you  say  another  word, 
we'll  shoot  you,  by  G — d  ! ' 

*'  <  Shoot  away  ! '  answered  Mr.  Smith,  *  I'm  not 
afraid  of  your  pistols.' 

*  *  They  then  hurried  him  off  to  a  carriage  they 
had,  and  without  serving  any  process  were  for  hur- 
rying him  off  without  letting  him  see  or  bid  fare- 
well to  his  family  or  friends.  Mr.  Smith  then  said  : 

"  «  Gentlemen,  if  you  have  any  legal  process,  I 
wish  to  obtain  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,'  and  was 
answered : 

"  *  G — d  d — n  you  !  you  shan't  have  one.' 

"Mr.  Smith  saw  a  friend  of  his  passing,  and 
said  :  '  These  men  are  kidnapping  me,  and  1  want 
a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  to  deliver  myself  out  of 
their  hands.' 

"  This  friend  immediately  proceeded  to  Dixon, 
whence  the  Sheriff  also  proceeded  at  full  speed.  On 
arriving  at  the  house  of  Mr.  McKinnie,  tavern- 


$10  THE    PROPHE'?    OF   PALMYRA. 

keeper,  Mr.  Smith  was  thrust  into  a  room  and 
guarded  there,  without  being  allowed  to  see  any- 
body, and  horses  were  ordered  in  five  minutes. 
Mr.  Smith  then  stated  to  Reynolds  :  *  I  wish  to  get 
counsel ; '  and  was  answered  :  '  G — d  d — ri  you  ! 
you  shan't  have  counsel ;  one  word  more,  G — d 
d — n  you,  and  I'll  shoot  you.' 

"  '  What  is  the  use  of  this  so  often?'  said  Mr. 
Smith.  *  I  have  often  told  you  to  shoot,  and  I 
now  tell  you  again,  to  shoot  away  ; '  and  seeing  a 
person  passing,  he  said  :  4 1  am  falsely  imprisoned 
here,  and  I  want  a  lawyer.' 

"  A  lawyer  came,  but  had  the  door  banged  in 
his  face,  with  the  old  threat  of  shooting,  if  he  came 
any  nearer ;  another  afterwards  came,  and  received 
the  same  treatment. 

"Then  the  citizens  of  Dixon  interfered,  etc." 

Whether  the  editor  of  the  Times  and  Seasons 
drew  upon  his  imagination  for  the  foregoing  or 
had  it  from  Smith  himself,  is  not  known.  The 
writer  of  these  pages  knew  Mr.  Wilson  well 
for  many  years,  and  believes  the  story  told  by 
him  to  be  substantially  true,  as  heard  more  than 
once  from  his  own  lips.  He  stated  that  he  and 
Reynolds  drove  in  their  carriage  to  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Wasson,  alighted  and  hitched  their  team, 
and  stepping  to  the  front  door,  inquired  for  Mr. 
Smith.  The  answer  was  very  unsatisfactory,  but 
that  he  was  not  there.  They  took  seats,  however 
— Reynolds  in  the  doorway,  and  Wilson  on  the 
step  outside — and  entered  into  conversation.  While 
thus  engaged,  Wilson,  who  had  a  view  of  the  stair- 


TWO  WAYti  OF  TELLING  A   STORY.       221 

way,  saw  Emma,  the  prophet's  wife,  whom  he  had 
before  known,  hastily  cross  the  hall  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs.  This  convinced  him  that  they  were  on 
the  right  track.  The  conversation  continued  a 
little  longer ;  but  Wilson  was  becoming  excited 
and  uneasy.  Rising  from  his  seat,  he  made  a  step 
or  two  to  the  corner  of  the  house,  and  casually 
casting  his  eye  along  the  side  of  the  building,  was 
astonished  to  see  the  object  of  their  search  off  in 
an  open  field  two  hundred  yards  away,  running  to- 
ward a  piece  of  woods  some  distance  off. 

On  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  and  without  bid- 
ding good-bye  to  the  household,  or  explaining  to 
Reynolds,  he  gave  a  whoop,  and  started  in  pursuit, 
leaving  his  companion  to  bring  up  the  rear.  The 
pursuers,  being  lighter  and  more  nimble  of  foot, 
gained  upon  the  pursued.  So  he  resorted  to 
strategy.  He  was  nearing  an  old  cabin,  unin- 
habited, but  at  the  side  of  which  was  a  well,  and 
near  by  a  lot  of  clothes  spread  over  some  tall  grass 
and  weeds  to  dry.  It  was  evident  the  flying  chief- 
tain had  been  aiming  for  the  forest  beyond  ;  but  on 
arriving  at  the  building,  Wilson  could  nowhere  see 
the  fugitive.  He  certainly  had  not  had  time  to 
reach  the  timber,  nor  could  he  be  seen  anywhere 
about  the  building.  Giving  a  hurried  glance  at 
the  surroundings — taking  in  the  cabin,  the  well, 
the  drying  bed-clothes,  etc. — an  idea  struck  him, 


222  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

and  the  next  moment  he  saw  a  pair  of  boots  pro- 
trading  from  beneath  some  bedding  on  the  weeds. 
By  this  time  Reynolds  was  close  at  hand ;  but 
in  his  excitement,  and  without  waiting  to  see  if 
there  was  a  man  in  the  boots,  or  who  that  man 
might  be,  Wilson  sprang  upon  the  blanket  and 
called  to  Reynolds  to  come  on.  The  man  in  the 
boots  soon  emerged  from  his  hiding  place,  and 
stood  before  them  as  their  prisoner,  in  great  trepi- 
dation assuring  them  of  his  surrender.  In  due 
time  he  was  placed  in  their  carriage  and  started  on 
their  journey — a  journey  ludicrous  in  its  beginning, 
but  disastrous  to  them  in  the  end;  and  which,  in- 
stead of  landing  their  prisoner  in  Missouri,  brought 
them  into  a  dismal  swamp  of  habeas  corpus,  fin- 
ally standing  them,  conquered  and  abashed,  before 
the  municipal  court  at  Nauvoo. 


A   STORM-CLOUD    ItlSES.  223 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

A    STORM-CLOUD    RISES. 

QUARREL  BETWEEN  THE  CHIEFS — GENERAL  BENNETT'S  DE- 
FECTION— CHARGES  AND  DENIALS — BENNETT  ACCEPTS  THE 
"  BUFFETINGS  "  AND  LEAVES  —  HlS  LETTERS  TO  THE 
SANGAMO  JOURNAL — TESTIMONIALS  PRO  AND  CON. 

DURING  the  summer  of  1842,  an  ugly  storm- 
cloud  burst  upon  the  horizon  of  Xauvoo,  which 
threatened  serious  disaster.  A  quarrel  sprung  up 
between  the  two  great  leaders,  Generals  Smith 
and  Bennett.  The  true  inwardness  of  this  quarrel 
was  never  fully  known ;  but  there  is  good  reason 
for  the  opinion  that  it  originated  in  jealousy.  The 
city  at  that  time  contained  some  five  or  six  thousand 
people,  and  was  rapidly  growing ;  yet  it  was  not 
large  enough  for  them  both.  Bennett  had  fast  risen 
into  power  and  greatness  through  the  ill-advised 
generosity  of  the  state  government  and  the  favor- 
itism of  the  Mormon  people.  He  was  excessively 
vain  and  ambitious,  and  desired  a  greater  share  of 
the  honors  and  emoluments  than  the  prophet  was 
willing  to  grant  him.  Immediately  upon  organ- 
izing under  the  charters,  he  had  been  given  the  two 
best  offices,  next  to  the  supreme  one  held  by  the 
prophet  himself.  It  is  believed,  further,  that  the 


224  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

cause  of  the  quarrel  was  not  alone  a  jealousy  of 
each  other's  power  and  influence  ;  but  that  a  jealousy 
resulting  from  quite  another  cause  had  much  to  do 
with  it.  In  fact,  it  is  very  evident  from  the  pub- 
lished statements  by  both  parties,  that  there  was 
a  woman  or  two  concerned.  As  they  had  been  in 
confidential  and  close  intimacy  before,  they  now 
became  vindictive  and  bitter  enemies.  But  with 
his  usual  luck,  Smith  held  the  reins  of  power.  The 
Lieutenant-General  out-generaled  the  Major-Gen- 
eral with  the  masses,  and  the  latter  went  down, 
and  was  compelled  to  leave  the  city.  He  who  had 
so  lately  been  basking  in  the  sunshine  of  prosperity, 
was  expelled  from  the  church — "  seceded,"  he 
called  it — and  deposed  from  the  high  places  which 
he  had  for  so  brief  a  period  occupied.  He  left  the 
city,  vowing  a  determination  to  expose  the  wrongs 
and  wickedness  of  Mormonism,  and  his  intention 
to  bring  the  prophet  to  condign  punishment ;  de- 
claring, further,  that  he  had  never  been  a  believer, 
but  had  only  joined  them  to  acquaint  himself  with 
their  nefarious  designs.  On  the  other  hand,  Smith 
and  the  church  organs  were  not  slow  in  denouncing 
the  apostate  general.  If  the  half  were  true  that 
these  belligerent  chiefs  told  of  each  other,  they 
both  deserved  the  contempt  of  mankind.  As  a 
general  rule,  and  not  to  show  partiality,  the  great 
mass  of  the  Gentile  people  believed  them  both. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  C.  BENNETT. 


A  STORM-CLOUD  RISES.  225 

At  the  time  of  Bennett's  defection,  several  others 
of  the  principal  men  manifested  a  rebellious  spirit; 
and  it  looked  for  a  season  as  if  there  would  be  a 
serious  disruption.  Of  these,  Sidney  Rigdon,  so 
long  the  confidential  counsellor  of  Smith,  and 
Orson  Pratt,  were  the  most  prominent.  And  if 
Bennett's  stories  were  true,  each  of  these,  with  sev- 
eral others,  had  strong  private  reasons  for  entering 
into  the  rebellion.  But  the  power  of  the  prophet 
restrained  them  all,  and  Bennett  alone  was  turned 
over  to  the  "buffetings  of  Satan."  The  fallen 
chief  at  once  left  the  city,  and  proceeded  to  Ckrthage, 
the  county  seat,  claiming  that  his  life  was  in  dan- 
ger— how  truly  we  can  only  judge  in  the  light  of 
subsequent  events.  He  began  a  series  of  letters  to 
the  Sangamo  Journal  at  Springfield,  carrying  out 
his  purpose  of  exposure.  These  letters  were  widely 
read  and  commented  on.  They  were  interesting 
for  many  reasons.  First :  They  exhibited  in  strong 
light  the  character  of  Bennett  himself.  Second  : 
Whether  he  was  worthy  of  full  credence  or  not, 
they  portrayed  the  workings  of  that  theocratic  des- 
potism which  prevailed  at  ISTauvoo.  And  third  : 
"hey  give  us  an  idea  of  the  sort  of  people  he  had 

;en  associating  with  and  upholding  and  defending  ; 
ind  of  the  motives  which  actuated  him  and  them. 

.s  literary  productions  they  were  weak,  bombastic, 

id  in  bad  taste. 


220  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

Bennett,  through  his  letters  to  the  Journal,  and 
the  Mormons,  through  their  organs,  kept  up  for 
several  weeks  a  terrible  tirade  of  abuse  and  so- 
claimed  exposure  of  villainies,  ad  nauseum.  The 
Times  and  Reasons  of  July  1,  1842,  contains  a  long 
article  relating  to  the  difficulty.  It  denounces 
Bennett  in  severe  terms,  charging  him  with  false- 
hood, debauchery,  and  many  other  crimes ;  and 
publishes  letters  from  abroad  showing  that  his  dis- 
reputable character  was  known  to  them  more  than 
a  year  before.  The  Master  of  Nauvoo  Lodge  of 
"  Free  and  Accepted  York  Masons,"  publicly  an- 
nounced that  Bennett  had  "  palmed  himself  upon 
the  fraternity  as  a  regular  Mason  in  good  stand- 
ing," when  he  was  an  expelled  Mason,  and  cau- 
tioned the  fraternity  against  him.  In  the  organ  of 
August  1st,  may  also  be  found  a  report  of  a  meeting 
called  to  give  an  expression  of  the  public  mind  in 
the  matter  of  this  grave  quarrel.  At  this  meeting, 
General  Wilson  Law  offered  the  following  resolu- 
tion : 

"Resolved,  That  having  heard  that  John  C. 
Bennett  was  circulating  many  base  falsehoods  re- 
specting a  number  of  citizens  of*  Nauvoo,  and 
especially  against  our  worthy  and  respected  Mayor, 
Joseph  Smith,  we  do  hereby  manifest  to  the  world 
that  so  far  as  we  are  acquainted  with  Joseph  Smith, 
we  know  him  to  be  a  good,  moral,  virtuous,  peace- 
able and  patriotic  man,  and  a  firm  supporter  of  law, 
justice  and  equal  rights ;  that  he  at  all  times  up- 


A    STOEM-CLOUD    RISES.  227 

holds  and  keeps  inviolate  the  constitution  of  this 
State  and  of  the  United  States." 

Being  put  to  vote,  about  a  thousand,  the  report 
says,  voted  in  the  affirmative  ;  but  Orson  Pratt  and 
two  or  three  others,  voted  in  the  negative.  This 
temerity  occasioned  great  surprise,  and  Mr.  Pratt 
was  at  once  subjected  to  a  categorical  examina- 
tion by  the  prophet.  His  reasons  for  the  vote  are 
withheld  in  the  report,  but  he  was  pressed  with  the 
following  question : 

"  Have  you,  personally,  a  knowledge  of  any 
immoral  act  in  me  toward  the  female  sex,  or  in  any 
other  way  ?  " 

And  Mr.  Pratt  answered  :  "  PERSONALLY,  toward 
the  female  sex,  I  have  not."  Dr.  Bennett's  -charge 
against  Smith  of  making  improper  advances  toward 
Mrs.  Pratt,  was  that  they  occurred  in  her  husband's 
absence  from  the  city.  The  resolution  offered  at 
the  meeting  and  which  was  passed  so  overwhelm- 
ingly, it  will  be  observed,  was  presented  by  one  of 
the  Laws,  who  soon  afterwards  engaged  in  another 
insurrection,  and  reaffirmed  all  the  charges  and 
more,  that  are  therein  denied. 

The  "  Ladies'  Relief  Society  "  also  joined  with  a 
paper,  signed  by  one  thousand  ladies,  attesting  to 
the  "  virtue,  philanthropy  and  benevolence  of  Joseph 
Smith." 

Thirteen  members  of  the  city  council  made 
affidavit  denying  Bennett's  charges,  and  further 


228  THE    PEOPHET    OF    PALNYUA. 

declaring  that  there  was  no  such  a  thing  as  a  Danite 
Society  in  the  city,  within  their  knowledge.  The 
Times  and  Seasons  for  August  1st,  also  is  largely 
filled  with  the  story  of  Bennett's  character ;  and  to 
these  issues  of  that  organ  and  to  the  Sangamo 
Journal  at  Springfield,  during  that  interesting 
period,  we  refer  the  reader  for  the  whole  history  of 
the  war  between  the  two  doughty  generals  of  the 
Nauvoo  Legion. 

Bennett,  in  his  letters,  made  free  use  of  the 
names  of  men  high  in  authority  in  the  city,  to  cor- 
roborate his  statements,  evidently  expecting  to 
draw  them  off.  But  he  failed  ;  most  of  them  con- 
troverted his  stories  through  the  organ.  Some  of 
these  denials  are  carefully  worded,  and  when  closely 
examined  are  found  to  be  partly  denial  and  partly 
evasion.  Others  are  more  direct,  and  embrace 
points  which  a  year  or  so  afterwards  were  as  vehe- 
mently charged  by  themselves. 

Among  charges  brought  by  Bennett  against  the 
prophet,  was  one  of  the  attempted  seduction  of  a 
buxom  young  English  girl,  who  with  her  parents 
had  not  long  before  embraced  the  faith  and  emi- 
grated to  the  city.  This  girl  (Miss  Martha  Broth- 
erton)  corroborated  Bennett's  charges  in  a  pub- 
lished letter,  giving  circumstances  in  detail. 
Whether  their  story  was  true  or  not,  it  is  known 
that  the  girl  and  her  parents — people  of  standing 


A    STORM-CLOUD    RISES.  229 

and  means — left  the  city,  and,  it  is  believed,  re- 
turned to  England. 

An  apology  may  seem  to  be  necessary  for  occu- 
pying so  much  space  with  the  quarrel  between 
these  two  men.  But  let  it  be  remembered  that  Dr. 
Bennett  was  for  more  than  a  year  the  second  in  an 
in  position  in  the  city,  and  a  bright  light  in  the 
church,  and  that  he  had  during  that  time  the  seem- 
ing confidence  of  Smith  and  his  followers ;  and 
more,  that  he  was  an  appointee  of  the  Governor  of 
the  State  and  of  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  to 
responsible  offices.  That  he  was  a  weak  man  and 
a  knave,  his  own  conduct  and  exposg  abundantly 
prove.  How  far  the  charges  and  criminations 
against  each  other  are  to  be  accepted  by  an  honest 
public,  we  prefer  to  leave  for  the  discerning  reader 
to  decide. 

Dr.  Bennett's  book,  entitled  The  History  of  the 
Saints  ;  an  Expos&  of  Joe  Smith  and  Mor  monism, 
issued  soon  after  his  defection  and  fall,  contains 
this  in  its  opening  chapter  : 

" I  find  that  it  is  almost  universally  the  opinion 
of  those  who  have  heard  of  me  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  United  States,  that  I  united  myself  to  the 
Mormons  from  a  conviction  of  the  truth  of  their 
doctrines,  and  that  I  was,  at  least  for  some  time,  a 
convert  to  their  pretended  religion.  This,  however, 
is  a  very  great  error.  /  never  believed  in  them  or 
leir  doctrines." 

But  he  claimed  that  he  joined  them  in  order  to 


230  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

ascertain  the  truth  about  their  objects  and  de- 
signs, and  to  expose  them.  And  he  adds  that  there 
was  in  existence  among  them  a  deep-laid  scheme  to 
conquer  the  five  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Missouri,  and  Iowa,  for  a  military  and  religious 
empire,  over  which  Joe  Smith  was  to  rule  as  Em- 
peror and  Pope,  and  Prophet  of  the  Lord.  This 
is  all  folly ;  Dr.  Bennett  found  no  such  scheme 
among  them.  Who  can  be  made  to  accept  the 
story  that  the  Mormon  prophet  would  limit  himself 
to  those  five  insignificant  States  for  his  rule  ?  Did 
he  not  proclaim  that  the  ' '  whole  earth  "  was  to  be 
brought,  and  the  possessions  of  all  the  Gentiles 
therein,  under  the  sway  of  the  Saints  for  an  inher- 
itance? However  true  many  of  Bennett's  charges 
against  the  Mormons  and  their  leaders  maybe,  and 
we  are  forced  to  believe  that  many  of  them  are  true, 
we  must  be  excused  from  accepting  that  story. 

But  Dr.  Bennett's  book  is  a  curiosity  in  itself. 
It  abounds  in  egotism  and  bombast,  indicative  of 
the  character  of  its  author  ;  yet  he  brings  together 
an  array  of  specifications  and  charges  against 
the  prophet  and  the  leaders,  which,  corroborated  and 
sustained  by  many  well-known  facts  and  circum- 
stances, render  it  difficult  to  reject ;  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  questionable  position  he  occupied,  and 
his  vain-glorious  manner  throughout,  his  exposd 
would  have  been  much  more  effective. 


A   STORM-CLOUD    RISES.  iv.l 

He  evidently  failed  in  drawing  off  from  the  sup- 
port of  the  prophet,  a  number  of  prominent  men, 
who  were  disaffected  and  manifesting  a  rebellious 
spirit,  but  who  afterwards  followed  him,  reiterating 
most  of  his  charges  and  statements.  Had  they 
openly  declared  themselves  as  he  did,  and  when  he 
did,  the  prophet  would  have  had  a  formidable  rebel- 
lion on  his  hands,  that  he  might  not  have  been  able 
to  subdue. 


THE  PROPHET  OF 


CHAPTEK    XXV. 

A    PRESIDENTIAL    CANDIDATE. 

FOR  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  GEN.  JOSEPH  SMITH, 
OP  NAUVOO,  ILLINOIS  ;  FOR  VICE-PRESIDENT,  SIDNEY  RIG- 
DON,  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

AMONG  the  many  methods  adopted  by  the  Mormon 
prophet  for  obtaining  notoriety,  was  that  of  causing 
himself  to  be  proclaimed  a  candidate  for  President 
of  the  United  States.  In  the  memorable  campaign 
of  1840,  such  of  the  Mormons  as  had  acquired  cit- 
izenship in  Illinois,  had  supported  Harrison  and 
Tyler.  General  Harrison  had  now  gone  to  his  rest 
and  Tyler  was  near  the  close  of  his  accidental  term. 
All  parties  were  discussing  presidential  probabili- 
ties. Henry  Clay  and  John  C.  Calhoun  were  re- 
garded as  prominent  candidates  of  their  respective 
parties  ;  to  each  of  these  the  prophet  had  addressed 
a  long  letter,  requesting  to  be  informed  as  to  the 
policy  he  would  pursue  if  elected,  in  relation  to 
Mormon  grievances.  Unsatisfactory  replies  had 
been  received  from  each  of  those  statesmen,  and 
commented  upon  in  Smith's  organ.  On  the  15th 
of  February,  1844,  said  organ,  under  the  editorial 
charge  of  John  Taylor,  a  lately  imported  English 
recruit,  printed  a  long  leader  on  the  question  : 


A  PRESIDENTIAL     CANDIDATE  23<i 

"  Who  shall  be  our  next  President?"  After  dis- 
cussing the  merits  of  the  respective  candidates  from 
a  Mormon  standpoint,  and  finding  them  all  wanting, 
the  editor  says  : 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  the  question  again 
arises,  who  shall  we  support?  GENERAL  JOSEPH 
SMITH  !  A  man  of  sterling  worth  and  integrity  and 
of  enlarged  views;  a  man  who  has  raised  himself 
from  the  humblest  walks  in  life  to  stand  at  the  head 
of  a  large,  intelligent,  respectable,  and  increasing 
society,  that  has  spread  not  only  in  this  land,  but 
in  distant  nations ;  a  man  whose  talents  and  genius 
are  of  an  exalted  nature,  and  whose  experience  has 
rendered  him  every  way  adequate  to  the  onerous 
duty.  Honorable,  fearless  and  energetic  ;  he  would 
administer  justice  with  an  impartial  hand,  and  mag- 
nify and  dignify  the  office  of  chief  magistrate  of 
this  land ;  and  we  feel  assured  there  is  not  a  man 
in  the  United  States  more  competent  for  the 
task."  ( !  !  ) 

And  after  several  more  paragraphs,  our  editor 
concludes  : 

"Whatever  therefore  6e  the  opinions  of  other 
men,  our  course  is  marked  out,  and  our  motto  from 
henceforth  will  be  GENERAL  JOSEPH  SMITH." 

And  the  next  issue  of  the  Times  and  Seasons 
contained  the  announcement  : 

"  For  President, 

"GENERAL  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Xauvoo,  Illinois"; 
and  subsequent  issues  contained  in  addition : 

"  For  Vice-President, 
NEY  RIGDON,  of  Pennsylvania." 


2o4  THE    PIIOPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

This  ticket  stood  till  Mr.  Smith  was  killed,  on 
June  27th,  the  same  year.  We  have  not  learned 
that  any  effort  was  ever  made  to  form  an  Electoral 
ticket  in  Illinois  or  any  other  State.  Had  he  lived, 
and  such  ticket  had  been  formed,  he  .would  have 
obtained  some  votes  most  probably  in  several  of 
the  States  of  the  Union,  under  the  full  faith  that 
he  would  be  elected. 

But  how  it  was  that  Joseph  Smith  became  a  citi- 
zen of  Illinois,  and  Sidney  Kigdon  a  citizen  of 
Pennsylvania,  when  they  both  had  resided  at 
Nauvoo  for  several  years  with  their  families — both 
coming  here  the  same  year  from  Missouri,  and  to 
Missouri  from  Ohio  at  the  same  time — was  one  of 
-the  many  Mormon  problems. 


AN  IMPENDING    CRISIS.  235 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

AN    IMPENDING   CRISIS. 

RUMBLINGS  OF  A  VOLCANO — A  SECESSION  ORGANIZED — AN  OP- 
POSITION CHURCH — A  NEWSPAPER  "NUISANCE"  ABATED. 

THE  conduct  of  politicians  and  political  parties 
during  the  campaign  of  1843,  gave  a  new  impulse 
to  the  anti-Mormon  sentiment,  and  measures  to  pre- 
vent its  recurrence  began  to  be  taken.  The  late 
election  fully  developed  the  fact,  that,  although 
two  or  three  good  men  had  been  chosen  to  office — 
men  not  objectionable  to  the  great  body  of  the 
people — practically  the  whole  county  and  district 
were  at  the  beck  of  the  prophet.  Four  of  the 
county  officers  were  Mormons,  and  one  of  them 
was  not  even  a  resident  of  the  county,  but  held  a 
similar  office  at  the  time  in  a  distant  county ;  but 
having  joined  the  church  was  intending  to  settle 
in  Nauvoo.*  An  effort  to  reorganize  the  Anti- 
Mormon  party  was  determined  on,  and  a  mass  con- 
vention was  held  at  the  county  seat  on  the  7th  of 
September,  at  which  preliminary  measures  were 

*  James  Adams,  when  elected  Probate  Judge  in  Hancock, 
was  residing  in  Springfield,  and  holding  the  same  office  in 
Sangamon  County. 


236  THE    PUOP11ET    OF   PALMYRA. 

taken.  Among  the  resolutions  pushed  \vas  one 
which,  in"  view  of  past  events,  was  impolitic,  and 
should  have  been  omitted — requesting  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Missouri  to  make  another  demand  for 
Smith,  and  pledging  aid  in  the  execution  of  the 
writ. 

In  the  mean  time,  frequent  difficulties  were  oc- 
curring between  the  Gentiles  and  Mormons  over  the 
county  and  at  Nauvoo,  which  kept  alive  the  excite- 
ment. Numerous  acts  of  tyranny  were  perpetrated 
by  the  prophet  on  citizens  of  the  county,  and  even 
on  his  own  followers  ;  and  heavy  fines  were  inflicted, 
at  his  instance,  for  no  punishable  oifense,  by  the 
municipal  court,  or  by  himself  as  mayor  or  pre- 
siding officer  of  the  court.  If  he  committed  an  of- 
fense against  an  individual  which  rendered  him 
liable,  he  had  invented  an  easy  way  of  escape — 
which  was  to  procure  an  arrest  by  some  of  his 
tools,  have  an  ex-parte  hearing,  and  get  discharged  ; 
then,  when  an  officer  called  upon  him  with  an 
honest  writ,  he  was  coolly  informed  that  he  was  too 
late. 

General  Bennett's  exposd  referred  to  several  of 
the  prominent  leaders  by  name,  as  being  disaffected 
and  having  good  cause  for  their  rebellious  attitude. 
These  never  afterwards  became  heartily  reconciled, 
though  they  refused  to  "  come,  out,"  when  so 
strongly  urged  by  the  General.  They  were  not 


^V   IMPENDING    CRISIS.  237 

ready,  but  would  bide  their  time.  Some  of  the.-L- 
were  Sidney  Rigdon,  Bishop  Marks,  George  W. 
Robinson,  Wilson  and  William  Law,  Dr.  Robert 
D.  and  Charles  A.  Foster,  and  Francis  M.  and 
Chauncey  L.  Higbee,  and  a  number  of  others  of 
lesser  note  and  position  in  the  church.  To  these 
may  be  added  Sylvester  Emmans,  an  attorney  at 
law  and  a  member  of  the  city  council,  who  was  not 
a  church  member.  None  of  these  had  ever  been 
fully  restored  in  the  prophet's  confidence  since  the 
secession  of  the  Major-General ;  and  the  breach 
was  daily  widening.  Dr.  Foster  had  been  elected 
school  commissioner  of  the  county  by  Mormon 
votes,  probably  as  a  means  of  keeping  him  loyal 
and  quiet. 

During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1844,  the  breach 
had  widened  to  the  extent  of  organizing  a  new 
church,  and  one  was  instituted  in  April  or  May, 
with  William  Law  as  its  President ;  but  he  dis- 
claimed any  prophetic  attainments  or  privileges. 
It  was  also  decided  to  establish  a  new  paper  in  the 
city  as  their  organ,  and  with  it  to  fight  the 
prophet.  Accordingly,  in  May  a  printing  press  and 
materials  arrived  by  steamer  from  St.  Louis,  and 
were  landed  and  hauled  into  the  city  and  set  up 
without  molestation.  Of  course  these  events  caused 
great  excitement,  not  only  in  the  city  among  the 
faithful  but  over  the  whole  country.  Evidently  a 


238          THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYKA. 

crisis  was  approaching.  The  lion  was  being  bearded 
in  his  very  den.  His  own  cubs  were  growling  de- 
fiance. 

In  the  mean  time  the  habeas  corpus — the  great 
safeguard  of  liberty  everywhere  else,  but  atNauvoo 
the  great  engine  of  despotic  power — was  not  in- 
active. In  May,  Mr.  Francis  M.  Higbee,  one  of  the 
seceders,  commenced  against  the  prophet  a  civil 
action  for  slander,  in  the  Hancock  circuit  court, 
on  which,  in  accordance  with  usage,  a  capias  was 
issued.  On  this  being  served  by  the  Sheriff,  in- 
stead of  entering  bail  for  his  appearance,  Smith 
obtained  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from  the  city  court 
and  was  set  at  liberty.  About  the  same  time,  one 
Jeremiah  Smith,  an  Iowa  defaulter  to  the  United 
States  government,  fled  to  the  city  for  protection ; 
was  arrested  there  by  a  United  States  Marshal, 
and  twice  released  by  the  habeas  corpus — the  court 
rendering  a  judgment  for  costs  against  the  United 
States ! 

The  May  term  of  the  Hancock  circuit  court 
commenced  its  session  at  Carthage  on  the  20th, 
Hon.  Jesse  B.  Thomas  presiding.  At  this  term, 
four  cases  were  on  docket  against  the  prophet,  and 
were  disposed  of  as  follows  : 

Alexander  Sympson — For  false  imprisonment : 
change  of  venue  to  Adams  County. 


AN   IMPENDING    CRISIS.  239 

Francis  M.  Higbee — For  slander  :  change  to  the 
County  of  McDonough. 

Charles  A.  Foster — False  imprisonment :  to  the 
Count}'  of  McDonough. 

Amos  Davis  —  For  trespass :  to  McDonough 
County. 

These  were  all  civil  actions.  At  the  same  term, 
two  indictments  were  found  against  Smith  by  the 
grand  jury — one  for  adultery,  and  one  for  perjury. 
To  the  surprise  of  all,  on  the  Monday  following 
these  presentments,  the  prophet  appeared  in  court 
and  demanded  trial  on  the  last-named  indictment. 
The  prosecution  not  being  ready,  a  continuance 
was  taken  to  the  next  term. 

In  the  mean  time  the  seceders  were  not  idle. 
President  Law  boldly  denounced  the  prophet  from 
the  platform  in  the  city ;  while  the  others  were 
busy  among  the  people  in  and  out  of  the  city.  The 
prospectus  for  the  new  paper  was  extensively  cir- 
culated, and  received  with  much  encouragement. 
Its  title  was  to  be  the  Nauvoo  Expositor,  and 
its  purposes  as  set  forth  in  the  prospectus  were  : 

"The  unconditional  repeal  of  the  city  charter; 
to  correct  the  abuses  of  the  unit  power ;  to  advo- 
cate disobedience  to  political  revelations." 

In  short,  its  purpose  was  to  oppose  the  prophet 
Smith,  and  reform  the  abuses  of  which  he  was 
claimed  to  be  the  author.' 


210  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

The  paper  was  issued  under  date  of  June  7, 
1844.  It  had  for  its  editor  Sylvester  Emmans, 
and  the  names  of  William  Law,  Wilson  Law, 
Charles  Ivins,  Francis  M.  Higbee,  Chauncey  L. 
Higbee,  Kobert  D.  Foster,  and  Charles  A.  Foster, 
as  its  publishers.  In  a  literary  point  of  view,  it 
exhibited  little  talent.  It  had  evidently  been  pre- 
pared in  a  hurry  and  under  excitement,  and  with 
no  attempt  at  artistic  arrangement.  About  half  of 
its  reading  matter  was  made  up  from  miscellaneous 
selections.  Of  its  original  contents,  five  or  six 
columns  were  occupied  with  a  "  Preamble,  Eesolu- 
tions,  and  Affidavits  of  the  Seceders  from  the 
Church  at  Nauvoo"  ;  giving  reasons  for  their  action, 
and  making  charges  against  the  prophet  and  his 
adherents.  A  number  of  editorial  articles  followed, 
mostly  of  the  same  purport,  couched  in  strong 
language,  but  not  remarkable  for  ability  or  point. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  professed  aim  and  purpose 
of  this  sheet  were  to  expose  the  enormities  prac- 
ticed by  the  prophet  and  his  followers  at  Nauvoo. 
And  from  the  statements  and  proofs  adduced,  and 
from  corroborative  facts — making  all  due  allow- 
ance for  exaggeration,  and  vindictive  feeling — we 
are  compelled  to  accept  many  of  them  as  true. 
Yet,  it  is  painful  to  remember  that  while  they  were 
showing  Joseph  Smith  to  have  been  a  desperately 
had  man,  they  were — to  put  it  in  as  mild  a  way  as 


AN    IMPENDING    CHILIS.  IMI 

possible — adding  little  to  their  own  characters  ;  in- 
asmuch as  for  years  they  had  been  his  supporters 
and  defenders,  and  (having  been  in  his  confidence) 
must  have  known  long  before  what  his  true  char- 
acter was,  and  that  all  his  pretensions  to  religion 
and  sanctity  were  false.  And  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, too,  that  when  Dr.  Bennett  revolted,  but  a 
short  period  before,  and  made  the  same  or  similar 
charges,  all,  or  most  of  these  men  made  public 
contradiction  of  them4 

Sidney  Rigdon,  who,  taking  their  statements 
with  Bennett's  to  be  true,  had  as  much  cause  as 
any  one  to  come  out  and  denounce  their  chief, 
still  refused — until  after  the  prophet's  death,  when 
Brigharn  Young  and  the  Twelve  had  thrown  him 
overboard.  Did  Rigdon  know  of  Smith's  villainies, 
after  fourteen  years'  association  with  him  ?  These 
seceders  all  gave  countenance  to  one  Joseph  H. 
Jackson,  in  his  exposures — a  new-comer,  who,  as 
he  says,  had  only  been  in  Smith's  confidence  a 
little  time ;  and  Jackson  published  a  pamphlet 
stating  that  the  prophet  had  confided  to  him  that 
he  was  a  counterfeiter,  an  adulterer,  an  instigator 
of  murder  (as  in  the  case  of  Governor  Boggs) ,  and 
that  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  Golden  Plates 
were  frauds.  This  Jackson  may  have  been  a  fraud 
and  a  falsifier  himself ;  it  is  true  that  his  statements, 
excepting  wherein  corroborated,  did  not  gain  full 


242  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

credence.  Yet  many  of  them  coincided  with  those 
of  the  seceders.  And  is  it  likely  that  Jackson  in 
a  few  months  would  be  able  to  gain  more  of  the 
prophet's  confidence,  than  would  these  in  several 
years'  intimacy? 

The  life  of  the  Expositor  was  a  short  one.  This  first 
issue  was  its  final  one.  It  was  issued  on  Friday, 
the  7th  of  June,  and  on  Saturday  the  8th,  the  city 
council  was  in  session  considering  what  should  be 
done.  They  deliberated  all  that  day  and  all  day 
Monday,  and  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  passed  a 
resolution  declaring  the  Expositor  a  nuisance,  and 
instructing  the  Mayor  to  cause  it  to  be  abated — - 
which  he  did  about  eight  o'clock  the  same  evening. 

An  extra  of  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor,  the  weekly 
organ,  containing  a  certified  copy  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  council  on  those  two  days,  now  lies  be- 
fore us.  It  is  due  to  them  that  their  side  of  the 
controversy  should  be  given ;  and  this  extra  fully 
and  at  great  length  sets  forth  the  reasons  for  their 
action.  Besides,  it  should  be  preserved  for  all  time 
to  come  as  a  curiosity,  and  as  illustrating  to  future 
law-makers  the  nature  of  a  nuisance,  and  the  proper 
mode  of  treating  it.  It  will  be  found  entire  in  the 
next  chapter. 

It  was  stated  by  Gentiles  who  were  present  dur- 
ing the  deliberations  of  the  council,  that  the 
brothers,  Hyrum  and  Joseph  Smith,  were  at  times 


yG    CRISIS.  243 

greatly  excited,  and  indulged  in  violent  language. 
The  latter  was  reported  to  have  vehemently  ex- 
exclaimed :  "If  you  will  not  stick  by  me,  and 
wade  to  your  knees  in  Wood  for  my  sake,  you  may 
go  to  li — II  and  be  d — d;  and  I  will  go  and  build 
another  city  !  "  Hyrum  was  reported  to  have  said  : 
"We  had  better  send  a  message  to  long-nosed  Sharp 
[editor  of  the  Warsaw  Signal~\  that  if  he  does  not 
look  out,  he  might  be  visited  with  a  pinch  of  snuff 
that  will  make  him  sneeze  !  "  And  he  continued  :  "  If 
any  person  will  go  to  Warsaw  boldly,  in  daylight, 
and  break  the  press  of  the  Signal  office  with  a 
sledge-hammer,  I  will  bear  him  out  in  it,  if  it 
costs  me  a  farm.  He  could  only  be  taken  with  a 
warrant  at  any  rate,  and  what  good  would  that  do  ?  " 
In  view  of  habeas  corpus,  that  was  a  significant 
question. 

Of  course  such  language  would  not  be  reported 
in  the  organ.  It  is  proper  to  state,  however,  that 
Hyrum  and  his  friends  made  emphatic  denial  of 
having  made  threats  against  the  Signal  or  its  editor. 

The  report  in  the  extra  is  to  be  taken  as  con- 
clusive of  the  reasons  for  the  destruction  of  the 
press.  When  analyzed,  they  resolve  themselves 
into  these  half-dozen  propositions. 

\.  Sylvester  Emmans  was  poor  when  he  came  to 
the  city,  with  only  two  shirts  to  his  back. 


244  THE    PEOPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

2.  The  Laws  oppressed  the  poor,  by  adhering  to 
their  rules  in  grinding  grain. 

3.  Besides,  they  had   dunned   the   prophet  for 
money  due  them. 

4.  Dr.  Foster  had  been  too  intimate  with  a  sister 
in  Ohio — and  he  had  written  the  Mayor  a  saucy 
letter. 

5.  Wilson  Law' had  seduced  another  sister,  and — 

6.  They  had  all  misrepresented  the  spiritual  wife 
doctrine. 

And  these  six  counts,  with  several  more  of  minor 
importance,  amounted  to  treason  against  the  inde- 
pendent sovereignty  of  Nauvoo,  and  the  head  there- 
of, and  rendered  the  printing  press  of  the  traitors 
a  nuisance,  and  it  must  be  destroyed  !  Even  in 
this  the  Mayor  transcended  the  authority  given  him 
by  the  council.  The  resolution  instructed  him  to 
abate  the  nuisance  by  removal;  he  issued  his  order 
to  the  City  Marshal  to  destroy  the  press  and  pi  the 
types  in  the  street,  and  if  necessary  demolish  the 
house,  and  arrest  all  who  opposed. 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WHY.  245 


CHAPTER     XXVII. 

GIVING    THE    REASON   WHY. 

A  STRANGE  DOCUMENT  —  RECITING  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE 
NAUVOO  CITY  COUNCIL  REGARDING  THE  "EXPOSITOR" 
NUISANCE — OFFICIAL. 

THE  document  which  follows  is  a  verbatim  copy 
of  a  half-sheet  extra  which  was  issued  from  the 
office  of  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor  soon  after  the  de- 
struction of  the  Expositor  office.  It  is  given  entire, 
Editorials,  Mayor's  Proclamation,  Clerk's  State- 
ment and  all,  as  showing  their  side  of  the  question 
and  their  reasons  for  the  course  pursued.  It  is 
valuable,  too,  as  showing  to  the  Gentile  world  what 
kind  of  people  these  Latter-Day  Saints  were,  thus 
congregated  together  in  the  holy  city  : 

NAUVOO  NEIGHBOR  EXTRA. 

[Editorial.] 
TO   THE   PUBLIC  . 

"As  a  soft  breeze  in  a  hot  day  mellows  the  air, 
so  does  the  simple  truth  calm  the  feelings  of  the 
irritated,  and  so  we  proceed  to  give  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  city  council  relating  to  the  removal  of 
the  Nauvoo  Expositor  as  a  nuisance.  We  have 


246  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

been  robbed,  mobbed  and  plundered  with  impunity 
some  two  or  three  times,  and  as  every  heart  is 
more  apt  to  know  its  own  sorrows,  the  people  of 
Xauvoo  had  ample  reason,  when  such  characters  as 
the  proprietors  and  abettors  of  the  Nauvoo  Expos- 
if  or  proved  to  be  before  the  city  council,  to  be 
alarmed  for  their  safety.  The  men  who  got  up  the 
press  were  constantly  engaged  in  resisting  the  au- 
thority or  threatening  something.  If  they  wTere 
fined  an  appeal  was  taken,  but  the  slander  went  on  ; 
and  when  the  paper  came,  the  course  and  the  plan 
to  destroy  the  city  was  marked  out.  The  destruc- 
tion of  the  city  charter  and  the  ruin  of  the  Saints 
was  the  all-commanding  topic.  Our  lives,  our  city, 
our  charter,  and  our  characters  are  just  as  sacred, 
just  as  dear,  and  just  as  good  as  other  people's; 
and  while  no  friendly  arm  has  been  extended  from 
the  demolition  of  our  press  in  Jackson  County, 
Missouri,  without  law,  to  this  present  day,  the 
city  council,  with  all  the  law  of  nuisance,  from 
Blackstone  down  to  the  Springfield  city  charter, 
knowing  that  if  they  exceeded  the  law  of  the  land, 
a  higher  court  would  regulate  the  proceedings, 
abated  the  Nauvoo  Expositor. 

The  proceedings  of  the  council  show,  as  sketched, 
that  there  was  cause  of  alarm.  The  people  when 
they  reflect  will  at  once  say  that  the  feelings  and 
rights  of  men  ought  to  be  respected.  All  persons 
otherwise,  and  without  recourse  to  justice,  mercy, 
or  humanity,  to  come  out  with  inflammatory  pub- 
lications, destructive  resolutions,  or  more  especially 
extermination,  shows  a  want  of  respect  and  a  want 
of  religious  toleration,  that  honorable  men  will 
deprecate  among  Americans,  as  they  would  the 
pestilence,  famine,  or  the  horrors  of  war.  It  can- 
not be  that  the  people  are  so  lost  to  virtue  as  to 
coolly  go  to  murdering  men,  women,  and  children. 
No.  Candor  and  common  sense  forbid  it," 


GIVING  THE  REASON  WHY*  247 

CLERK'S   STATEMENT. 

For  the  Neighbor. 

"  MR.  EDITOR  :  In  your  last  week's  paper  I  pro- 
posed giving  your  readers  an  account  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  city  council,  but  time  forbids 
anything  more  than  a  brief  synopsis  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  municipality  of  the  city  of  Xauvoo, 
relative  to  the  destruction  of  the  press,  and  fixtures 
of  the  Xauvoo  Expositor. 

"  CITY    COUNCIL,  REGULAR  SESSION. 

"  June  8,  1884. 

"  In  connexion  with  other  business,  as  stated  in 
last  week's  paper,  the  Mayor  remarked  that  he  be- 
lieved it  generally  the  case,  that  when  a  man  goes 
to  law  he  has  an  unjust  cause,  and  wants  to  go 
before  some  one  who  wants  business,  and  that  he 
had  very  few  cases  on  his  docket ;  and  referring 
to  Councillor  Emmons,  editor  of  the  Xauvoo  Ex- 
positor',  suggested  the  propriety  of  first  purging 
the  city  council ;  and  referring  to  the  character  of 
the  paper  and  proprietors,  called  up  Theodore 
Turley,  a  mechanic,  who,  being  sworn,  said  that 
the  Laws  (T\im.  and  Wilson)  had  brought  bogus 
dies  to  him  to  fix. 

"  Councillor  Hyrum  Smith  inquired  what  good 
Foster  and  his  brother,  and  the  Higbees,  and  the 
Laws  had  ever  done  ;  while  his  brother  Joseph  was 
under  arrest,  from  the  Missouri  persecution,  the 
Laws  and  Foster  would  have  been  rode  on  a  rail, 
if  he  had  not  stepped  forward  to  prevent  it,  on 
account  of  their  oppressing  the  poor. 

"  Mayor  said,  while  he  was  under  arrest  by  writ 
from  Governor  Carlin,  TTin.  Law,  pursued  him  for 
$40  he  was  owing  Law,  and  it  took  the  last  expense 
money  he  had  to  pay  it. 

"  Councillor  H.    Smith,  referred    to  J.  H.  Jack- 


248  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

son's  coming  to  this  city,  &c.     Mayor  said,  Wm. 
Law,  had  offered  Jackson,  $500  to  kill  him. 

"  Councillor,  H.  Smith,  continued,  Jackson,  told 
him,  he  (Jackson,)  meant  to  have  IPS  daughter; 
and  threatened  him  if  he  made  any  resistance. 
Jackson,  related  to  him  a  dream  ;  that  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  were  opposed  to  him,  but  that  he  would 
execute  his  purposes  ;  that  Jackson,  had  laid  a  plan 
with  four  or  five  persons  to  kidnap  his  daughter, 
and  threatened  to  shoot  any  one  that  should  come 
near,  after  he  had  got  her  in  the  skiff;  That  Jackson, 
was  engaged  in  trying  to  make  Bogus,  which  was  his 
principal  business, — referred  to  the  revelation,  read 
to  the  high  council  of  the  church,  which  has  caused 
so  much  talk  about  a  multiplicity  of  wives  ;  that  said 
Revelation  was  in  answer  to  a  question  concerning 
things  which  transpired  in  former  days,  and  had  no 
reference  to  the  present  time.  That  when  sick, 
Wm.  Law,  confessed  to  him  that  he  had  been 
'  guilty  of  adultery,'  and  «  was  not  fit  to  live,'  and 
had  *  sinned  against  his  own  soul,'  &c. ,  and  inquired, 
who  was  Judge  Emmons?  When  he  came  here 
he  had  scarce  two  shirts  fo  his  back,  but  he  had 
been  dandled  by  the  authorities  of  the  city,  &c. 
and  was  now  editor  of  the  "  Nauvoo  Expositor,"  and 
his  right  hand  man  Francis  M.  Higbee,  who  had 
confessed  to  him  that  he  had  *  *. 

"  Washington  Peck,  sworn,  said  soon  after  Jo- 
seph H.  Jackson  came  here,  he  came  to  witness  to 
borrow  money,  which  witness  loaned  him,  and  took 
some  jewelry  as  security.  Soon  after  a  man  from 
across  the  river  came  after  the  jewelry, — Jackson, 
had  stolen  the  jewelry  from  him.  At  another  time 
wanted  to  get  money  of  witness,  asked  witness  if 
he  would  do  anything  dishonorable  to  get  a  living. 
Witness  said  he  would  not.  Jackson  said  witness 
was  a  damned  fool,  for  he  could  get  a  living  a  deal 
easier  than  he  was  then  doing  by  making  Bogus, 


GIVING       HE    SEASON     WHY  249 


and  some  men  high  in  the  church  was  engaged  in 
the  business.  Witness  asked  if  it  was  Joseph.  No 
said  Jackson,  I  dare  not  tell  it  to  Joseph.  Witness 
understood  him,  the  Laws  was  engaged  in  it. 
Jackson  said  he  would  be  the  death  of  witness, 
if  he  ever  went  to  Joseph  or  any  one  else  to  tell 
what  he  had  said. 

"  Ordered  by  the  council  that,  Sylvester  Ein- 
mons,  be  suspended  until  his  case  could  lie  in- 
vestigated for  slandering  the  city  council,  that 
the  recorder  notify  him  of  his  suspension,  and  that 
his  case  would  come  up  for  investigation  at  the  next 
regular  session  of  the  council.  [The  order  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  marshal.] 

"  Councillor  J.  Taylor  said  that  Councillor  Em- 
mons  helped  to  make  the  ordinances  of  the  city, 
and  had  never  lifted  his  voice  against  them  in  the 
council,  and  was  now  trying  to  destroy  the  ordi- 
nances and  the  charter. 

"  Lorenzo  Wasson,  sworn,  said  Joseph  H.  Jack- 
son, told  witness,  that  Bogus  making  was  going  on 
m  the  city  ;  —  but  it  was  too  damned  small  business. 
Wanted  witness  to  help  him  to  procure  money,  for 
the  general,  (Smith,)  was  afraid  to  go  into  it,  and 
with  $500  he  could  get  an  engraving  for  bills  on 
the  bank  of  Missouri,  and  one  on  the  state  of  New 
York,  and  could  make  money,  —  said  many  times 
witness  did  not  know  him  ;  —  believed  the  general 
had  been  telling  witness  something.  God  damn 
him  if  he  has  I  will  kill  him,  —  swore  he  would  kill 
any  man  that  should  prove  a  traitor  to  him.  Jack- 
son said  if  he  could  get  a  company  of  men  to  suit 
him,  he  would  go  into  the  frontiers  and  live  by  high- 
way robbery,  had  got  sick  of  the  world. 

"  Mayor  suggested  that  the  council  pass  an  ordi- 
nance to  prevent  misrepresentation  and  libellous 
publications,  and  conspiracies  against  the  peace  of 
the  city  ;  and  referring  to  the  reports  that  Dr.  Fos- 


250  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

ter  had  set  afloat,  said  he  had  never  made  any  pro- 
posals to  Foster  to  come  hack  to  the  church.  Foster 
proposed  to  come  back  ;  came  to  Mayor's  house  and 
wanted  a  private  interview ;  had  some  conversation 
with  Foster  in  the  hall,  in  presence  of  several  gen- 
tlemen, on  the  7th  inst.  ;  offered  to  meet  him  and 
have  an  interview  in  presence  of  friends,  three  or 
four  to  be  selected  by  each  party — which  Foster 
agreed  to ;  and  went  to  bring  his  friends  for  the 
interview,  and  the  next  notice  he  had  of  him  was 
the  following  letter  : 

"  June  7th,  1844. 
"  To  Gen.  J.  Smith: 

"  SIR  : — I  have  consulted  my  friends  in  relation  to 
your  proposals  of  settlements,  and  they  as  well  as 
myself  are  of  the  opinion  that  your  conduct  and 
that  of  your  unworthy,  unprincipled  clan  is  so  base 
that  it  would  be  morally  wrong  and  detract  from 
the  dignity  of  gentlemen  to  hold  any  conference 
with  you.  The  repeated  insults  and  abuse's,  I  us 
well  as  my  friends  have  suffered  from  your  unlaw- 
ful course  towards  us  demands  honorable  resent- 
ment. We  are  resolved  to  make  this  our  motto ; 
nothing  on  our  part  has  been  done  to  provoke  your 
anger  but  have  done  all  things  as  become  men. 
You  have  trampled  upon  every  thing  we  hold  dear 
and  sacred,  you  have  set  all  law  at  defiance  and 
profaned  the  name  of  the  most  high  to  carry  out 
your  damnable  purposes — and  I  have  nothing  more 
to  fear  from  you  than  you  have  already  threatened. 
And  I  as  well  as  my  friends  will  stay  here  and 
maintain  and  magnify  the  law  as  long  as  we  stay — 
and  we  are  resolved  never  to  leave  until  we  sell  or 
exchange  our  property  that  we  have  here.  The 
proposals  made  by  your  agent  Dimick  Hunting-ton 
as  well  as  the  threats  you  sent  to  intimidate  me,  I 
disdain  and  despise  as  I  do  their  unhallowed  author. 
The  right  of  my  family  and  my  friends,  demand  at 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WHY.  251 

my  hand  a  refusal  of  all  your  offers  ;  we  are  united 
in  virtue  and  truth,  and  we  set  hell  at  defiance  and 
all  her  agents  adieu.  R.  D.  FOSTER. 

"To  General  J.   Smith. 

"  Mayor  continued  : — And  when  Foster  left  his 
house,  he  went  to  a  shoe  shop  on  the  hill  and  re- 
ported, that  '  Joseph  said  to  him  if  he  would  come 
back  he  would  give  him  Law's  place  in  the  church, 
and  a  hat  full  of  specie.' 

"  Lucian  Wood  worth,  sworn,  said  that  the  con- 
versation as  stated  by  the  Mayor  was  correct ;  was 
at  the  Mansion  June  7th  when  Dr.  Foster  rode  up 
and  inquired  if  General  Smith  was  at  home — Dr. 
Foster  went  into  the  house — witness  followed,  Dr. 
Foster  was  there,  the  General  and  others  looking 
at  some  specimens  of  penmanship,  something  was 
said  respecting  a  conversation  at  that  time,  between 
the  General  and  Dr. ;  General  Smith  observed  to 
Foster,  if  he  had  a  conversation  he  would  want 
others  present.  The  doctor  said  he  would  have  a 
word  with  him  by  himself;  and  went  into  the  Hall. 
Witness  went  to  the  door,  that  he  might  see  and 
hear  what  was  passing.  They  still  continued  to 
talk  on  the  subject  of  a  conversation  that  they 
might  have  afterwards  with  others  present,  whom 
Mr.  Smith  might  choose  and  Foster  might  choose. 
Foster  left,  and  went  for  them  that  he  said  he 
wanted  present,  and  would  return  soon  with  them 
— thinks  he  heard  all  the  conversation,  heard  noth- 
ing about  General  Smith's  making  any  offers  to  Fos- 
ter to  settle,  was  present  all  the  time.  Dimick 
Huntington  said  he  had  seen  Foster  and  talked  with 
him. 

' '  Mayor  said  he  wished  it  distinctly  understood 
that  he  knew  nothing  about  Dimick  Huntington 
going  to  see  Foster. 

"  Woodworth  said  he  sent  Dimick  Huntington 
to  Foster,  and  Joseph  knew  nothing  about  it. 


252  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

"  Counsellor  H.  Smith  said  Dimick  Huntington 
came  to  him  on  the  7th  inst.  and  said  he  had  had 
an  interview  with  Dr.  Foster,  and  thought  he  was 
about  ready  to  come  back,  and  a  word  from  him  to 
Joseph  would  bring  it  about. 

"  Mayor  said,  the  conduct  of  such  men,  and  such 
papers  are  calculated  to  destroy  the  peace  of  the 
city  ;  and  it  is  not  safe  that  such  things  should  exist, 
on  account  of  the  mob  spirit  which  they  tend  to 
produce ;  he  had  made  the  statements  he  had,  and 
called  the  witnesses  to  prepare  the  council  to  act  in 
the  case. 

"  Emmons  was  blackguarded  out  of  Philadelphia, 
and  dubbed  with  the  title  of  judge  (as  he  had  under- 
stood from  citizens  of  Philadelphia)  was  poor,  and 
Mayor  helped  him  to  cloth  for  a  coat  before  he 
went  away  last  fall,  and  he  labored  all  winter  to 
get  the  post  office  from  Mr.  Rigdon  (as  informed). 

"  Mayor  referred  to  a  writing  from  Dr.  Goforth, 
showing  that  the  Laws  presented  the  communication 
from  the  *  Female  Relief  Society  '  in  the  Nauvoo 
Neighbor,  to  Dr.  Goforth,  as  the  bone  of  contention, 
and  said,  if  God  ever  spake  by  any  man,  it  will 
not  be  five  years  before  this  city  is  in  ashes  and  we 
in  our  graves,  unless  we  go  to  Oregon,  California, 
or  some  other  place,  if  the  city  does  not  put  down 
every  thing  which  tends  to  niobocracy,  and  put 
down  their  murderers,  bogus  makers  and  scoundrels  ; 
all  the  sorrow  he  ever  had  in  his  family  has  arisen 
through  the  influence  of  Wm.  Law. 

"  C.  H.  Smith  spoke  in  relation  to  the  Laws, 
Fosters,  Higbees,  Editor  of  the  Signal,  &c.,  and  of 
the  importance  of  suppressing  that  spirit  which  has 
driven  us  from  Missouri  &c.,  that  he  would  go  in 
for  an  effective  ordinance. 

"Mayor  said,  at  the  time  Governor  Carlin  was 
pursuing  him  with  his  writs,  Wm.  Law  came  to  his 
house  with  a  band  of  Missourians  for  the  purpose 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WHY.  263 

of  betraying  him.  Came  to  his  gate,  and  was  pre- 
vented by  Daniel  Cairns,  who  was  set  to  watch  ;  Law 
came  within  his  gate,  and  called  Mayor,  and  the 
Mayor  reproved  Law  for  coming  at  that  time  of 
night,  with  a  company  of  strangers. 

66  Daniel  Cairns,  sworn,  said  that  about  10  o'clock 
at  night,  a  boat  came  up  the  river  with  about  a 
dozen  men.  TTm.  Law  came  to  the  gate  with  them, 
witness  on  guard.  Stopped  them.  Law  called 
Joseph  to  the  door,  and  wranted  an  interview. 
Joseph  said,  Bro.  Law  you  know  better  than  to 
come  here  at  this  hour  of  the  night,  and  Law  re- 
tired— next  morning  Law  wrote  a  letter  to  apolo- 
gize, which  witness  heard  read — which  was  written 
apparently  to  screen  himself  from  the  censure  of  a 
conspiracy  and  the  letter  betrayed  a  conspiracy  on 
the  face  of  it. 

"Adjourned  at  half  past  6  p.  M.,  till  Monday 
10th  at  10  o'clock  A.  M.  Adjourned  session  June 
10th,  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  Alderman  Harris  pre- 
siding. 

"  Mayor,  referred  to  Dr.  Foster — and  again  read 
his  letter  of  the  7th  inst.  (as  before  quoted). 

"  Cyrus  Hills,  a  stranger  sworn  :  said  one  day  last 
week,  believed  it  Wednesday,  a  gentleman,  whom 
witness  did  not  know  came  into  the  sitting  room  of 
the  « Nauvoo  Mansion,' and  requested  the  Hon. 
Mayor  to  step  aside — he  wanted  to  speak  with  him. 
Mayor  stepped  through  the  door  into  the  entry ,  by 
the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  the  General  (Mayor) 
asked  him  what  he  wished?  Foster  (as  witness 
learned  since  the  gentleman's  name) ,  said  he  wanted 
some  conversation  on  some  business  witness  did 
not  understand  at  the  time  ;  the  General  refused  to  go 
any  farther,  and  said  he  would  have  no  conversa- 
tion in  private,  what  should  be  said  should  be  in 
public ;  and  told  Foster  if  he  would  choose  three 
or  four  men,  he  would  meet  him  with  the  same  num- 


254  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

ber  of  men  (among  whom  was  his  In-other  Hyrum), 
and  they  would  have  a  cool  and  calm  investigation 
of  the  subject,  and  by  his  -making  a  proper  satis- 
faction, things  should  be  honorably  adjusted.  Wit- 
ness judged  from  the  manner  in  which  Foster  ex- 
pressed himself  that  he  agreed  to  the  Mayor's 
proposals,  and  would  meet  him  the  same  day,  in 
presence  of  friends ;  heard  no  proposals  made  by 
Mayor  to  Foster  for  settlement,  heard  nothing  about 
any  offers  of  dollars,  or  money,  or  any  other  offer 
except  those  mentioned  before ;  nothing  said  about 
Win.  Law  ;  was  within  hearing  of  the  parties  at  the 
time  conversation  was  going  on. 

"  O.  P.  Rockwell,  sworn.  Some  day  last  week, 
said  Dr.  Foster  rode  up  to  the  Nauvoo  Mansion 
and  went  in,  witness  went  in  and  found  the  Mayor 
and  Dr.  Foster  in  conversation.  General  Smith 
was  naming  the  men  he  would  have  present,  among 
whom  was  Hyrum  Smith,  Wm.  Marks,  Lucian 
Woodworth,  and  Peter  Hawes,  and  Dr.  Foster  had 
leave  to  call  an  equal  number  of  his  friends,  as 
witness  understood,  for  the  purpose  of  having  an 
interview  on  some  matters  in  conversation. 

' '  The  doctor's  brother  was  proposed .  General  said 
he  had  no  objections,  wanted  him  present.  Dr.  Fos- 
ter started,  saying  he  would  be  back  shortly.  Before 
Dr.  F.  left,  the  men  whom  General  Smith  had 
named  to  be  present  at  the  conversation  were  sent  for. 
Cross-examined  :  witness  went  into  the  house  as 
Mayor  and  Dr.  Foster  were  coming  out  of  the  Bar 
Room  into  the  Hall  ;  nothing  said  by  the  Mayor  to 
Dr.  Foster  about  his  coming  back, — made  no  offer 
to  Foster  about  a  settlement. 

"  Mayor  said  the  first  thing  that  occurred  when  he 
stepped  into  the  ball  with  Foster  was  that  he  wanted 
to  assassinate  him  ;  he  saw  something  shining  be- 
low his  vest ;  Mayor  put  his  finger  on  it  and  said, 
what  is  that?  Foster  replied  it  is  my  pistol,  and 


GIVING    THE    EEASON    WHY.  2", 

immediately  took  out  the  pistol,  and  showed  it 
openly,  and  wanted  the  Mayor  to  go  with  him  alone. 
Mayor  said  he  would  not  go  alone,  Mayor  never 
saw  the  pistol  before ;  had  a  hook  on  its  side,  to 
hang  on  his  waist-coat. 

" Andrew  L.  Lamaraux,  sworn,  said  that  in  1839 
or  40  while  President  Joseph  Smith,  Elder  Rigdon, 
Judge  Higbee,  O.  P.  Rockwell  and  Dr.  R,  D.  Fos- 
ter, on  their  way  to  Washington,  called  at  witness's 
house  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  that  the  evening  was  spent 
very  agreeably  except  some  dissatisfaction  on  the 
part  of  certain  females  with  regard  to  the  conduct 
of  Dr.  Foster.  On  their  return  from  Washington  wit- 
ness informed  President  Smith  of  Foster's  conduct. 
President  Smith  said  he  had  frequently  reproved 
Foster  for  such  conduct  and  he  had  promised  to  do 
better,  and  told  witness  to  reprove  Foster  if  he  saw 
anything  out  of  the  way.  That  evening  Foster 
refused  to  join  the  company,  and  walked  through 
the  town  till  about  8  o'clock  when  he  came  in  and 
interrupted  President  Smith,  who  was  expounding 
some  passages  of  scriptures,  and  changed  the  conver- 
sation. Soon  after  the  company  was  invited  to  Mr. 
Brown's  at  the  next  door,  whither  they  all  repaired. 
While  at  Mr.  Brown's,  conversation  going  on,  and 
the  room  much  crowded,  Dr.  Foster  and  one  of  the 
ladies  he  had  paid  so  much  attention  to  before  took 
their  seats  in  one  corner  of  the  room.  Witness 
heard  her  state  to  Dr.  Foster  that  she  supposed  she 
had  been  enciente  for  some  time  back,  but  had  been 
disappointed,  and  supposed  it  was  on  account  of  her 
weakness,  and  wanted  Foster  to  prescribe  something 
for  her.  Foster  said  he  could  do  it  for  her,  and 
dropped  his  hand  to  her  feet,  and  began  to  raise  it, 
she  gave  him  a  slight  push  and  threw  herself  close 
to  the  wall. 

"  He  laid  his  hand  on  her  knee,  and  whispered 
so  low  that  witness  could  not  hear.  Xext  morning 


256  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

witness  went  in  while  Foster  and  others  were  at 
breakfast  and  related  what  he  had  seen.  Foster 
denied  it.  President  Smith  told  him  not  to  deny 
it  for  he  saw  it  himself  and  was  ashamed  of  it. 
Foster  confessed  it  was  true,  and  promised  to  reform. 

1  'Peter  Hawes  sworn — Said  that  he  came  to 
Nauvoo  before  the  Laws  and  brought  considerable 
property  ;  it  was  a  short  time  after  the  church  had 
been  driven  out  of  Missouri  and  had  arrived  in  this 
place.  The  families  having  been  robbed  of  all  in  Mis- 
souri were  in  a  starving  condition.  By  the  coun- 
sel of  the  Presidency,  witness  converted  his  funds 
to  feeding  the  poor,  bringing  in  meat  and  flour,  &c., 
and  while  thus  engaged  drew  upon  the  Laws,  who 
were  at  that  time  engaged  in  merchandise  to  the 
amount  of  some  six  hundred  dollars,  which,  on 
account  of  expenditure  for  the  poor,  he  was  not 
able  to  pay,  to  within  some  70  or  80  dollars — 
which  they  pressed  him  for  as  soon  as  they  wanted 
it — although  he  offered  them  good  property  at  con- 
siderable less  than  the  market  value.  As  witness 
was  obliged  to  leave  the  city  on  church  business 
for  a  little  season,  Wm.  Law  threatened  and  intim- 
idated witness's  family  during  his  absence  for  the 
pay. 

- '  Dr.  Foster  made  a  public  dinner  on  the  4th  of 
July.  Witness  was  obliged  to  be  absent  and  de- 
posited meat,  flour,  <fcc.,  with  Wm.  Law,  to  give 
to  the  poor  at  that  dinner,  and  Law  handed  it  out 
as  his  own  private  property.  Witness  carried  a 
load  of  wheat  to  Law's  mill  to  be  ground — Law 
would  not  grind  it  only  to  give  a  certain  quantity 
of  flour  in  return  by  weight.  Law  used  up  the 
flour,  promising  from  time  to  time  he  would  refund 
it.  As  witness  was  about  to  start  on  a  mission  to 
the  south,  with  his  valise  in  hand,  saw  Law  before 
his  door,  talking  with  Hyrum  Smith;  called  on 
Law  and  told  him  he  was  going  away,  and  his  family 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WHY.  257 

wanted  the  flour  :  Law  promised  on  the  honor  of  a 
gentleman  and  a  Saint,  his  family  should  have  the 
flour  when  they  wanted. 

"  Councillor  H.  Smith  said  he  recollected  the 
time  and  circumstance. 

"  Hawes  said  when  he  returned,  found  his  family 
must  have  starved  if  they  had  not  borrowed  money 
to  get  food  somewhere  else — could  not  get  it  of  Law. 
And  Law  was  preaching  punctuality,  PUNCTUALITY, 
PUNCTUALITY,  as  the  whole  drift  of  his  dis- 
courses to  the  Saints,  and  abusing  them  himself  all 
the  time,  and  grinding  the  poor. 

' «  Mayor  said  if  he  had  a  city  council  who  felt  as 
he  did,  the  establishment  (referring  to  the  Nauvoo 
Expositor)  would  be  a  nuisance  before  night — and 
he  then  read  an  editorial  from  the  Nauvoo  Expos- 
itor. He  then  asked  who  ever  said  a  word  against 
Judge  Emmons  until  he  has  attacked  this  council, — 
or  even  against  Joseph  H.  Jackson  or  the  Laws, 
until  they  came  out  against  the  city?  Here  is  a 
paper  (Nauvoo  Expositor),  that  is  exciting  our 
enemies  abroad.  Joseph  H.  Jackson  has  been 
proved  a  murderer  before  this  council,  declared  the 
paper  a  nuisance,  a  greater  nuisance  than  a  dead 
carcass ;  they  make  a  criminality  for  a  man  to  have 
a  wife  on  the  earth,  while  he  has  one  in  heaven, 
according  to  the  keys  of  the  holy  priesthood,  and  he 
then  read  a  statement  of  William  Law's  from  the 
Expositor,  where  the  truth  of  God  was  transformed 
into  a  lie  concerning  this  thing.  He  then  read  several 
statements  of  Austin  Cowles  in  the  Expositor  con- 
cerning a  private  interview,  and  said  he  never  had 
any  private  conversation  with  Austin  Cowles  on  these 
subjects ;  that  he  preached  on  the  stand  from  the 
Bible,  showing  the  order  in  ancient  days,  having 
nothing  to  do  with  the  present  times.  What  the  oppo- 
sition party  want,  is  to  raise  a  mob  on  us  and  take 
the  spoil  from  us,  as  they  did  in  Missouri.  He  said 


258  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMTEA. 

it  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  keep  his  clerk, 
Thompson,  from  publishing  the  proceedings  of  the 
Laws  and*  causing  the  people  to  rise  up  against 
them.  Said  he  would  rather  die  to-morrow  and 
have  the  thing  smashed,  than  live  and  have  it  go 
on,  for  it  was  exciting  the  spirit  of  mohocracy 
among  the  people  and  bringing  death  and  destruc- 
tion upon  us. 

"  Peter  Hawes  recalled  a  circumstance,  which  he 
had  forgot  to  mention,  concerning  a  Mr.  Smith  who 
came  from  England  and  soon  after  died — the  chil- 
dren had  no  one  to  protect  them ;  there  was  one 
girl  16  or  17  years  old  and  a  younger  sister.  Wit- 
ness took  these  girls  into  his  family  out  of  pity. — 
Wilson  Law,,  then  Major-General  of  the  Nauvoo 
Legion,  was  familiar  with  the  eldest  daughter. — 
Witness  cautioned  the  girl. — Wilson  was  soon  there 
again  and  went  out  in  the  evening  with  the  girl, 
who  when  charged  by  the  witness's  wife  confessed 
that  Wilson  Law  had  seduced  her.  Witness  told 
her  he  could  not  keep  her.  The  girl  wept,  made 
much  ado,  and  many  promises — witness  told  her  if 
she  would  do  right,  she  might  stay,  but  she  did  not 
keep  her  promise.  Wilson  came  again  and  she 
went  out  with  him.  Witness  required  her  to  leave 
his  house. 

"  Mayor  said  certain  women  came  to  complain  to 
his  wife, — that  they  had  caught  Wilson  Law  with 
the  girl  on  the  floor  at  Mr.  Hawes's  in  the  night. 

"  Councillor  C.  H.  Smith  proceeded  to  show  the 
falsehood  of  Austin  Cowles  in  the  Expositor  in  re- 
lation to  the  revelation  referred  to,  that  it  was  in 
reference  to  former  days-,  and  not  the  present  time 
as  related  by  Cowles. 

"  Mayor 'said  he  had  never  preached  the  revela- 
tion in  private,  as  he  had  in  public, — had  not  taught 
it  to  the  anointed  in  the  church  in  private^  which 
statement  many  present  confirmed,  that  on  inquir- 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WHY.  259 

ing  concerning  the  passage  in  the  resurrection  con- 
cerning l  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  mar- 
riage,' &c.,  he  received  for  answer,  'Men  in  this  life 
must  marry  in  view  of  eternity,  otherwise  they  must 
remain  as  angels,  or  be  single  in  heaven,  'which  was 
the  amount  of  the  revelation  referred  to ;  and  the 
Mayor  spoke  at  considerable  length  in  explanation 
of  this  principle  and  was  willing  for  one  to  sub- 
scribe his  name,  to  declare  the  Expositor  and  whole 
establishment  a  nuisance. 

"  2  O'CLOCK  p.  M. 

"  The  clerk  of  the  council  bore  testimony  of  the 
good  character  and  high  standing  of  Mr.  Smith  and 
his  family,  whose  daughter  was  seduced  by  Wilson 
Law,  as  stated  by  the  last  witness  before  the  morn- 
ing council,  that  Mrs.  Smith  died  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  father  and  eldest  daugh- 
ter died  soon  after  their  arrival  in  this  place ;  and 
that  the  seduction  of  such  a  youthful,  fatherless, 
and  innocent  creature  by  such  a  man  in  high  stand- 
ing as  the  Major-General  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion, 
was  one  of  the  darkest,  damnedest  and  foulest  deeds 
on  record. 

"  Councillor  Hyrum  Smith  concurred  in  the 
remarks  made  by  the  clerk  concerning  the  excellent 
character  of  Mr.  Smith  and  his  family. 

"Mayor  said  the  constitution  did  not  authorize 
the  press  to  publish  libels,  and  proposed  that  the 
council  make  some  provision  for  putting  down  the 
Nauvoo  Expositor. 

"  Councillor  Hyrum  Smith  called  for  a  pro- 
spectus of  the  Expositor. 

"Councillor  Phelps  read  article  8,  section  1, 
Constitution  o£  Illinois. 

6  <  Mayor  called  for  the  charter. 

"  The  clerk  read  the  prospectus  of  the  Nauvoo 
Expositor. 

"Mayor   read    the    statements   of    Francis   M. 


260  THE  PHOPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

Higbee  from  the  Expositor  and  asked,  "  Is  it  not 
treasonable  against  all  chartered  rights  and  privi- 
leges, and  against  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the 
city?' 

"  Councillor  II.  Smith  was  in  favor  of  declaring 
the  Expositor  a  nuisance. 

"  Councillor  Taylor  said  no  city  on  earth  would 
bear  such  slander,  and  he  would  not  bear  it,  and 
was  decidedly  in  favor  of  active  measures. 

4 'Mayor  made  a  statement  of  what  Wm.  Law 
said  before  the  city  council  under  oath,  that  he  was 
a  friend  to  the  Mayor,  &c.,  &c.,  and  asked  if  there 
were  any  present  who  recollected  his  statement, 
when  scores  responded,  Yes  ! 

"  Councillor  Hunter  was  one  of  the  grand  jury, 
said  AYm.  Law  stated  before  the  grand  jury  that  he 
did  not  say  to  the  council  that  he  was  Joseph's 
friend. 

* '  Councillor  Taylor  continued  :  '  Wilson  Law 
was  president  of  this  council  during  the  passage  of 
many  ordinances,  and  referred  to  the  records. 
Wm.  Law  and  Emmons  were  members  of  the  coun- 
cil ;  and  Eminons  has  never  objected  to  any  ordi- 
nance while  in  the  council ;  but  has  been  more  like 
a  cipher,  and  is  now  become  editor  of  a  libellous 
paper,  and  is  trying  to  destroy  our  charter  and 
ordinances.'  He  then  read  from  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  on  the  freedom  of  the  press,  and 
said :  '  We  are  willing  they  should  publish  the 
truth ;  but  it  is  unlawful  to  publish  libels ;  the 
Expositor  is  a  nuisance  and  stinks  in  the  nose  of 
every  honest  man.' 

"  Mayor  read  from  Illinois  Constitution,  article 
8,  section  2,  touching  the  responsibility  of  the 
press  for  its  Constitutional  liberty. 

"  Councillor  Stiles  said  a  nuisance  was  anything 
that  disturbs  the  peace  of  a  community  and  read 
Blackstone  on  Private  Wrongs,  vol.  2,  page  4,  and 


GIVING    THE    KEASON    WHY.  261 

the  whole  community  has  to  rest  under  the  stigma 
of  these  falsehoods,  referring  to  the  Expositor,  and 
if  we  can  prevent  the  issuing  of  any  more  slander- 
ous communications,  he  would  go  in  for  it.  It  is 
right  for  this  community  to  show  n  proper  resent- 
ment, and  he  would  go  in  for  suppressing  all  further 
communications  of  the  kind. 

"  Councillor  H.  Smith  believed  the  best  way  was 
to  smash  the  press  and  <  pi '  the  type. 

"  Councillor  Johnson  concurred  with  the  coun- 
cillors who  had  spoken. 

"Alderman  Bennett  referred  to  the  statement  of 
the  Expositor  concerning  the  municipal  court  in  the 
case  of  Jeremiah  Smith  as  a  libel,  and  considered 
the  paper  a  public  nuisance. 

"Councillor  Wamngton  considered  his  a  peculiar 
situation,  as  he  did  not  belong  to  any  church  or  any 
party ;  though  it  might  be  considered  rather  harsh 
for  the  council  to  declare  the  paper  a  nuisance,  and 
proposed  giving  a  few  days'  limitation  and  assess- 
ing a  fine  of  $3,000  for  every  libel,  and  if  they 
would  not  cease  publishing  libels,  to  declare  it  a 
nuisance  ;  and  said  the  statutes  made  provision  for 
a  fine  of  $500. 

"  Mayor  replied  that  they  threatened  to  shoot 
him  when  at  Carthage  ;  and  the  women  and  others 
dare  not  go  to  Carthage  to  prosecute,  and  read  a 
libel  from  the  Expositor  concerning  the  imprison- 
ment of  Jeremiah  Smith. 

"  Councillor  H.  Smith  spoke  of  the  Warsaw 
Signal  and  disapproved  its  libellous  course. 

"  Mayor  remarked  he  was  sorry  to  have  one  dis- 
senting voice  in  declaring  the  Expositor  a  nuisance. 

"  Councillor  Warrington  did  not  mean  to  be 
understood  to  go  against  the  proposition  ;  but 
would  not  be  in  haste  in  declaring  it  a  nuisance. 

"  Councillor  H.  Smith  referred  to  the  mortgages 
and  property  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Expositor 


262  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

and  thought  there  would  be  little  chance  of  col- 
lecting damages  for  libels. 

''Alderman  E.  Smith  considered  there  was  but 
one  course  to  pursue,  that  the  proprietors  were  out 
of  reach  of  the  law ;  that  our  course  was  to  put  an 
end  to  the  thing  at  once ;  believed  by  what  he  had 
heard  that  if  the  city  did  not  do  it  others  would. 

"  Councillor  Hunter  believed  it  to  be  a  nuisance  ; 
referred  to  the  opinion  of  Judge  Pope  on  ]ial*(;it8 
corpus,  and  spoke  in  favor  of  the  charter,  &c.  ; 
asked  Francis  M.  Higbee  before  the  grand  jury,  if 
he  was  not  the  man  he  saw  at  Joseph's  house 
making  professions  of  friendship ;  Higbee  said  he 
was  not  [hundreds  know  this  statement  to  be 
false]  ;  he  also  asked  R.  D.  Foster  if  he  did  not  state 
before  hundreds  of  people  that  he  believed  Joseph 
to  be  a  prophet ;  '  no  '  said  Foster.  They  were 
under  oath  when  they  said  it.  [Many  hundreds  of 
people  are  witness  to  this  perjury.] 

"Alderman  Spencer  accorded  with  the  views  ex- 
pressed, that  the  Nauvoo  Expositor  is  a  nuisance, 
did  not  consider  it  wise  to  give  them  time  to 
trumpet  a  thousand  lies.  Their  property  could  not 
pay  for  it ;  if  we  pass  only  a  fine  or  imprisonment, 
have  we  any  confidence  that  they  will  desist  ?  None 
at  all !  We  have  found  these  men  covenant-break- 
ers with  God  !  with  their  wives  !  !  £c.  Have  we 
any  hope  of  their  doing  better?  Their  characters 
have  gone  before  them ;  shall  they  be  suffered  to 
go  on,  and  bring  a  mob  upon  us  and  murder  our 
women  and  children,  and  burn  our  beautiful  city? 
No  !  I  had  rather  my  blood  would  be  spilled  at 
once,  and  would  like  to  have  the  press  removed  as 
soon  as  the  ordinance  would  allow  ;  and  wish  the 
matter  miirht  lie  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Mayor, 
and  everybody  stand  by  him  in  the  execution  of  his 
duties,  and  hush  every  murmur. 

:•  Councillor  Levi  "Richards  said  he  had  felt  deeply 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WHY.  263 

on  this  subject,  and  concurred  fully  in  the  view 
General  Smith  had  *  expressed  of  it  this  clay,' 
thought  it  unnecessary  to  repeat  what  the  couricil 
perfectly  understood  ;  considered  private  interest  as 
nothing  in  comparison  with  the  public  good.  Every 
time  a  line  was  formed  in  the  Far  West  he  was  there, 
for  what?  To  defend  it  against  just  such  scoun- 
drels and  influence  as  the  Xauvoo  Expositor  and 
its  supporters  were  directly  calculated  to  bring 
against  us  again.  Considered  the  doings  of  the 
council  of  this  day  of  immense  moment,  not  to  this 
city  alone,  but  to  the  whole  world ;  would  go  in  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  thing  at  once ;  let  it  be  thrown 
out  of  this  city,  and  the  responsibility  of  counte- 
nancing such  a  press  be  taken  off  our  shoulders  and 
fall  on  the  State,  if  corrupt  enough  to  sustain  it. 

"  Councillor  Phineas  Richards  said  that  he  had 
not  forgotten  the  transactions  at  Haun's  Mills,  and 
that  he  recollected  that  his  son  George  Spencer  then 
lay  in  the  well  referred  to,  on  the  day  previous, 
without  a  winding-sheet,  shroud,  or  coffin.  He 
said  he  could  not  sit  still  when  he  saw  the  same 
spirit  raging  in  this  place  ;  he  considered  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Expositor  as  much  murderous  at 
heart  as  David  was  before  the  death  of  Uriah.  Was 
for  making  a  short  work  of  it,  was  prepared  to  take 
his  stand  by  the  Mayor,  and  whatever  he  proposes, 
would  stand  by  him  to  the  last.  The  quicker  it  is 
stopped  the  better. 

6 '  Councillor  Phelps  had  investigated  the  Con- 
stitution, charter,  and  laws  ;  the  power  to  declare 
that  office  a  nuisance  is  granted  to  us,  in  the  Spring- 
field charter,  and  a  resolution  declaring  it  a  nuisance 
is  all  that  is  required. 

<  *  John  Birney  sworn  :  Said  Francis  M.  Higbee 
nnd  Win.  Law  declared  they  had  commenced  their 
operations  and  would  carry  them  out,  law  or  no  laic, 

"  Stephen  Markham,  sworn :  Said  that  Francis 


264  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

M.  Higbee  said  the  interest  of  this  city  is  done  the 
moment  a  hand  is  laid  on  their  press. 

"  Councillor  Phelps  continued,  and  referred  to 
Wilson  Law  in  destroying  the  character  of  a  child, 
an  orphan  child,  who  had  the  charge  of  another 
child. 

"  Warren  Smith  sworn  :  Said  F.  M.  Higbee  came 
to  him  and  proposed  to  have  him  go  in  as  a  partner 
in  making  bogus  money.  Higbee  said  he  would 
not  work  for  a  living ;  that  witness  might  go  in 
with  him  if  he  would  advance  fifty  dollars,  and 
showed  him  (witness)  a  half  a  dollar  he  said  was 
made  in  his  dies. 

."  Councillor  Phelps  continued  and  said  he  felt 
deeper  this  day  than  ever  he  felt  before,  and  wanted 
to  know,  by  Yes  if  there  was  any  present  who 
wanted  to  avenge  the  blood  of  that  innocent  female 
who  had  been  seduced  by  the  then  Major-General  of 
the  Nauvoo  Legion,  Wilson  Law  ;  when  «  Yes  !  ! ' 
resounded  from  every  quarter  of  the  house.  He 
then  referred  to  the  tea  plot  at  Boston,  and  asked 
if  anybody's  rights  were  taken  away  with  that 
transaction,  and  are  we  offering,  or  have  we  offered 
to  take  away  the  rights  of  any  one,  these  two  days  ? 
(No!  !  !  resounded  from  every  quarter.)  He  then 
referred  also  to  Law's  grinding  the  poor  during  the 
scarcity  of  grain,  while  the  poor  had  nothing  but 
themselves  to  grind ;  and  spoke  at  great  length  in 
support  of  active  measures  to  put  down  iniquity  and 
suppress  the  spirit  of  mobocracy. 

"Alderman  Harris  spoke  from  the  chair,  and 
expressed  his  feelings  that  the  press  ought  to  be 
demolished. 

"The  following  resolution  was  then  read  and 
passed  unanimously,  with  the  exception  of  Coun- 
cillor Warrington  : 

"  Resolved,  By  the  city  council  of  the  city  of 
Nauvoo,  that  the  printing  office  from  whence  issues 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WHY.  2o5 

the  Xtuivoo  Expositor  is  a  public  nuisance,  and 
also  nil  of  said  Nauvoo  Expositors,  which  may  be 
or  exist  in  said  establishment,  and  the  Mayor  is 
instructed  to  cause  said  printing  establishment  and 
papers  to  be  removed  without  delay,  in  such  man- 
ner as  he  shall  direct. 
"  Passed  June  10,  1844. 

"  GEO.  W.  HARRIS, 

1 '  President  pro  tern . 
"  W.  RICHARDS,  Recorder. 
"  Six  o'clock,  P.  M.,  council  adjourned. 
"  This  certifies  that  the  foregoing  is  a  true  and 
correct  synopsis  of  the  proceedings  of  the  city  coun- 
cil of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  on  the  8th  and  10th  days 
of  June,  1844,  in  relation  to  the  Nauvoo  Expositor 
and  proprietors,  as  taken  from  the  minutes  of  said 
council. 

"  In  testimony  whereof  I  have  hereunto 

[L.S.]      set  my  hand,  and  the  corporation  seal, 

at  Nauvoo,  this  17th  day  of  June,  1844. 

"  WILLARD  RICHARDS, 
"Recorder  and  Clerk  of  the  City  Council. 
44  The  following  order  wTas  immediately  issued 
by  the  Mayor : 

"State  of  Illinois,  ) 
CITY  or  NAUVOO.  > 
"  To  the  Marshal  of  said  city,  GREETING  : 

* '  You  are  hereby  commanded  to  destroy  the 
printing  press  from  whence  issues  the  Nauvoo 
Expositor  and  pi  the  type  of  said  printing  estab- 
lishment in  the  street,  and  burn  allj  the  Expositors 
and  libellous  handbills  found  in  said  establishment, 
and  if  resistance  be  offered  to  your  execution  of 
this  order,  by  the  owners  or  others,  demolish  the 
house,  and  if  any  one  threatens  you,  or  the  Mayor, 
or  the  officers  of  the  city,  arrest  those  who  threaten 


266  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

you,  and  fail  not  to  execute  this  order  without  delay, 
and  make  due  return  hereon. 
61  By  order  of  the  city  council, 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH, 

"  Mayor. 

"MARSHAL'S  RETURN — The  within  named  press 
and  type  is  destroyed  and  pied  according  to 
order,  on  this  10th  day  of  June,  1844,  at  about  8 
o'clock,  P.  M. 

"J.  P.  GREEN,  C.  M. 


"  HEADQUARTERS, 

NAUVOO  LEGION,      > 
June  10,  1844.  5 
"  To  Jonathan  Dunham,  acting  Major  General  of 

the  Nauvoo  Legion  : 

"  You  are  hereby  commanded  to  hold  the  Nauvoo 
Legion  in  readiness,  forthwith  to  execute  the  city 
ordinances,  and  especially  to  remove  the  printing 
establishment  of  the  Nauvoo  Expositor,  and  this 
you  are  required  to  do  at  sight,  under  the  penalty 
of  the  laws  ;  provided  the  marshal  shall  require  it, 
and  need  your  services. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH, 
Lieut. -Gen.  Nauvoo  Legion. 

PROCLAMATION. 

MAYOR'S  OFFICE,       > 
NAUVOO,  June  16,  1844.  5 

"As  there  are  a  number  of  statements  in  circula- 
tion which  have  for  their  object  the  injury  of  the 
*  Latter-Day  Saints,'  all  of  which  are  false  and 
prompted  by  blackhearted  villains,  I  therefore  deem 
it  my  duty  to  disabuse  the  public  mind  in  regard  to 
them,  and  to  give  a  plain  statement  of  facts  which 


GIVING    THE    REASON    WLT  267 

have  taken  place  in  the  city  within  a  few  days  past, 
and,  which  has  brought  upon  us  the  displeasure  of 
the  unprincipled  and  the  uninformed,  and  seems  to 
afford  an  opportunity  to  our  enemies,  to  unite  and 
arouse  themselves  to  mob  ;  and  already  they  have 
commenced  their  hellish  operations  by  driving  a  few 
defenceless  Mormons  from  their  houses  and  homes 
in  the  vicinity  of  Warsaw  and  Carthage. 

"A  short  time  since  a  press  was  started  in  this 
city  which  had  for  its  object  the  destruction  of  the 
institutions  of  the  city,  both  civil  and  religious  ;  its 
proprietors  are  a  set  of  unprincipled  scoundrels  who 
attempted  in  every  possible  way  to  defame  the 
character  of  the  most  virtuous  of  our  community, 
and  change  our  peaceful  and  prosperous  city  into  a 
place  as  evil  and  polluted  as  their  own  black  hearts. 
To  rid  the  city  of  a  paper  so  filthy  and  pestilential 
as  this,  becomes  the  duty  of  every  good  citizen,  who 
loves  good  order  and  morality ;  a  complaint  was 
made  before  the  city  council,  and  after  a  full  and 
impartial  investigation  it  was  voted — without  one 
dissenting  voice,  a  public  NUISANCE,  and  to  be 
immediately  destroyed ;  the  peace  and  happiness  of 
the  place  demanded  it,  the  virtue  of  our  wives  and 
daughters  demanded,  and  our  consciences  demanded 
it  at  our  hands  as  conservators  of  the  public  peace. 
That  we  acted  right  in  this  matter  we  have  the  as- 
surance of  one  of  the  ablest  expounders  of  the  laws 
of  England,  viz.  :  Blackstone — the  Constitution  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  and  our  own  chartered  rights.  If 
then  our  charter  gives  us  the  power  to  decide  what 
shall  be  a  nuisance  and  cause  it  to  be  removed, 
where  is  the  offence  ?  What  law  is  violated  ?  If 
then  no  law  has  been  violated,  why  this  ridiculous 
excitement  and  bandying  with  lawless  ruffians  to 
destroy  the  happiness  of  a  people  whose  religious 
motto  is  '  peace  and  good  will  toward  all  men?' 

"  Our  city  is  infested  with  a  set  of  blacklegs, 


268  THE    PROPHET    OP   PALMYRA. 

counterfeiters  and  debauchees,  and  that  the  pro- 
prietors of  this  press  were  of  that  class,  the  min- 
utes of  the  municipal  court  fully  testify,  and  in 
ridding  our  young  and  nourishing  city  of  such 
characters,  we  are  abused  by  not  only  villainous 
demagogues,  but  by  some  who  from  their  station 
and  influence  in  society,  ought  rather  to  raise  than 
depress  the  standard  of  human  excellence.  We 
have  no  disturbance  or  excitement  among  us,  save 
what  is  made  by  the  thousand  and  one  idle  rumors 
afloat  in  the  country.  Every  one  is  protected  in 
his  person  and  property,  and  but  few  cities  of  a 
population  of  twenty  thousand  people,  in  the  United 
States,  hath  less  of  dissipation  or  vice  of  any  kind, 
than  the  city  of  Nauvoo. 

"  Of  the  correctness  of  our  conduct  in  this  affair, 
we  appeal  to  every  high  court  in  the  State,  and  to 
its  ordeal  we  are  willing  to  appear  at  any  time  that 
His  Excellency,  Governor  Ford  shall  please  to  call 
us  before  it.  I  therefore,  in  behalf  of  the  municipal 
court  of  Nauvoo,  warn  the  lawless,  not  to  be  pre- 
cipitate in  any  interference  in  our  affairs,  for  as  sure 
as  there  is  a  God  in  Israel,  we  shall  ride  triumphant 
over  all  oppression. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH, 

"Mayor." 


THE    ATONEMENT.  269 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

THE    ATONEMENT. 

GREAT  EXCITEMENT — WRITS  PROCURED — PUBLIC  MEETINGS — 
CITIZENS  ARMING — THE  GOVERNOR  APPEALED  TO — AR- 
RIVES AT  CARTHAGE  —  TAKES  COMMAND  —  MAYOR  AND 
COUNCIL  OF  NAUVOO  SUMMONED — ARRESTED  BUT  FAIL 
TO  APPEAR — FINALLY  COME  IN  AND  SURRENDER — RE- 
LEASED ON  BAIL  —  RE-ARRESTED  FOR  TREASON — GOV- 
ERNOR'S DEFINITION  OF  TREASON  —  MARCHES  WITH  A 
SMALL  FORCE  TO  THE  CITY — THE  SMITHS  KILLED  EN 
JAIL — GREAT  CONSTERNATION. 

THE  destruction  of  the  press  and  types  of  the  Ex- 
positor put  the  city  of  Nauvoo  and  the  whole  county 
of  Hancock  at  fever  heat.  The  seceders  all  left  the 
city,  and  the  owners  of  the  destroyed  property  re- 
paired to  the  county  seat,  and  procured  writs  for  the 
Mayor  and  others  concerned,  on  a  charge  of  riot. 
These  writs  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  an  officer, 
who,  with  a  small  posse,  repaired  to  the  city  and 
arrested  a  number  of  the  persons  charged.  The 
inevitable  habeas  corpus  was  again  applied  from  the 
municipal  court,  and  they  were  "  honorably  dis- 
charged." 

Meanwhile,  the  whole  county  was  in  commotion. 
Public  meetings  were  held  at  various  points,  and 
the  people  called  upon  to  arm  for  a  crisis  that 
seemed  to  be  approaching.  The  following  resolu- 


270  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

tions  were  passed  at  two  principal  points  in  the 
county  (Carthage  and  Warsaw),  by  acclamation, 
and  preparations  actively  made  to  carry  them  out : 

" Resolved,  That  the  time,  in  our  opinion,  has 
arrived  when  the  adherents  of  Smith  as  a  body, 
should  be  driven  from  the  surrounding  settlements 
into  Nauvoo  :  that  the  prophet  and  his  miscreant 
adherents  should  then  be  demanded  at  their  hands, 
and  if  not  surrendered,  a  war  of  extermination 
should  be  waged  to  their  entire  destruction,  if 
necessary  for  our  protection. 

"Resolved,  That  every  citizen  arm  himself  to  be 
prepared  to  sustain  the  resolutions  herein,  con- 
tained." 

These  looked  to  extreme  measures.  It  is  proper 
to  here  remark,  that  there  were  at  this  time,  and 
ever  afterwards  while  the  Mormons  remained,  four 
classes  of  citizens  in  the  county :  First,  the  Mor- 
mons themselves  ;  2.  A  class  called  Jack-Mormons, 
who,  not  members  of  the  sect,  adhered  to  and  sus- 
tained them  for  political  gain  ;  3.  Old  citizens  who 
were  Anti-Mormon  at  heart,  but  who  refused  to 
countenance  any  but  lawful  measures  for  the  redress, 
of  grievances ;  and,  4.  Anti-Mormons,  who,  now 
that  the  crisis  was  at  hand,  advocated  "war  and 
extermination."  Some  of  the  third  class  were  de- 
nounced as  "Jacks,"  by  the  extremists;  though 
the  great  body  of  them  acted  usually  with  the 
fourth  class  in  all  things  but  their  extreme  meas- 


e 

ures. 


All  over  the  county,  men  were  arming,  organ- 


THE    ATONEMENT.  271 

izhur,  and  drilling;  having  been  notified  by  the  of- 
ficer holding  the  writs  that  a  posse  comitatus  would 
be  called  for  to  aid  in  making  the  arrests.  A  great 
want  existed  in  the  absence  of  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion. Agents  to  procure  these  were  sent  to  Quincy 
and  St.  Louis  and  other  places.  At  St.  Louis  a 
cannon  and  a  lot  of  ammunition  were  obtained  and 
brought  up  to  Warsaw.  The  authorities  of  the  town 
voted  a  thousand  dollars  for  supplies.  A  deputa- 
tion having  been  sent  to  Governor  Ford  at  Spring- 
field, that  functionary  decided  to  visit  the  county  in 
person  and  judge  for  himself. 

In  much  that  follows  regarding  the  death  of  the 
Smiths,  and  the  events  leading  thereto  and  subse- 
quent, we  use  Ford's  Message  as  Governor,  and 
his  History  of  Illinois,  correcting  his  many  mis- 
takes and  misstatements  of  facts. 

Upon  the  Governor's  arrival  in  the  county,  he 
found  an  armed  force  collected  and  collecting,  while 
another  was  arming  and  assembling  at  Warsaw. 
The  General  of  the  militia,  Deming,  had  also  called 
out  the  militia  of  the  adjoining  counties  of  Mc- 
Donough  and  Schuyler.  The  Governor  promptly 
placed  all  the  troops  under  orders  and  under  com- 
mand of  their  proper  officers.  He  next  summoned 
the  Mayor  and  the  city  council  of  Nauvoo  to  pre- 
sent their  side  of  the  question,  which  they  did, 
through  a  committee  sent  to  the  Governor  at  the 


272  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

county  seat,  his  headquarters.  After  some  consid- 
erable delay  and  indecision  as  to  what  course  tor 
pursue  next,  a  force  of  ten  men  was  sent  to  the  city 
with  the  officer  to  make  the  arrest  and  guard  the 
prisoners  to  headquarters.  The  officer  made  the 
arrests  without  trouble,  the  Mayor  and  councillors 
signifying  their  willingness  to  accompany  him  to 
Carthage  at  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Eight 
o'clock  came,  but  the  accused  failed  to  appear,  and 
the  posse  marched  back  to  Carthage  without  them. 
This  incensed  the  Governor.  He  blamed  the  officer 
very  unjustly  for  returning  without  them.  That 
individual  knew  better  than  his  excellency  the  ways 
of  the  accused.  He  knew  that  if  they  had  intended 
submission,  they  would  have  presented  themselves 
at  the  time  fixed ;  and  if  they  did  not,  that  an 
officer  and  ten  men  would  find  it  an  up-hill  business 
to  hunt  out  and  bring  away  an  equal  number  from 
a  city  full  of  armed  enemies. 

The  Governor  next  demanded  that  the  State 
arms  in  the  hands  of  the  Legion,  with  which  they 
had  been  supplied  by  Quartermaster-General  Ben- 
nett, should  be  delivered  to  him.  To  this  demand 
they  complied  by  sending  in  three  piece's  of  cannon 
and  two  hundred  stands  of  small  arms. 

The  surrender  of  the  chiefs  being  insisted  on  by 
Governor  Ford,  on  the  24th,  the  prophet,  his 
brother  Hyrum,  and  some  members  of  the  city 


THE    ATONEMENT.  273 

council  came  in  and  surrendered  to  the  officers 
holding  the  writs,  and  voluntarily  entered  into 
recognizance  to  appear  at  court.  In  the  mean  time 
a  new  warrant,  charging  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith 
with  treason,  had  been  issued,  and  they  were  again 
arrested  by  the  constable.  This  charge  of  treason  was 
based  on  the  alleged  fact  of  levying  war  against  the 
State,  and  of  declaring  martial  law  in  the  city,  and 
ordering  out  the  Legion  to  resist  the  execution  of 
the  laws.  Here  Historian  Ford,  in  order  to  find 
fault  with  the  Hancock  people,  gives  us  a  new  and 
novel  definition  of  treason.  He  says  : 

"  Their  actual  guiltiness  of  the  charge  would  de- 
pend upon  circumstances.  If  their  opponents  had 
been  seeking  to  put  the  law  in  force  in  good  faith, 
and  nothing  more,  then  an  array  of  military  force 
in  open  resistance  to  the  posse  comitatus  and  the 
militia  of  the  State,  most  probably  would  have 
amounted  to  treason.  But  if  those  opponents 
mainly  intended  to  use  the  process  of  the  law,  the 
militia  of  the  State,  and  the  posse  comitatus ,  as 
cat's-paws  to  compass  the  possession  of  their  per- 
sons for  the  purpose  of  murdering  them  afterwards, 
as  the  sequel  demonstrated  the  fact  to  be,  it  might 
well  be  doubted  whether  they  were  guilty  of  trea- 
son."—Hist.  III.  p.  337. 

So  treason,  instead  of  depending  upon  the 
acts  and  intentions  of  the  persons  charged,  is 
to  be  measured  by  the  acts  and  intentions  of 
others.  It  is  a  principle  of  law  that  intention 
must  be  taken  into  account  in  defining  crime, 


274  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

but  it  comes  strangely  from  the  executive  of  a  State, 
that  to  constitute  crime,  the  intentions  of  persons 
who  are  endeavoring  to  bring  a  criminal  to  justice, 
rather  than  his  own,  are  to  be  considered.  But  by 
what  process  does  Governor  Ford  so  summarily 
arrive  at  the  intentions  of  those  he  styles  the 
*  *  opponents  "  of  the  Mormon  leaders  ? 

Neither  party  being  prepared  for  the  examination 
on  the  charge  of  treason,  the  accused  were  com- 
mitted to  the  county  jail  for  safe-keeping. 

The  Governor  now  decided  to  march  his  whole 
force  into  Nauvoo,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  had  any 
clearly  defined  object  for  so  doing.  The  morning  of 
the  27th  was  fixed  on  for  the  march ;  and  on  the 
26th  the  order  was  given,  and  a  message  sent  to 
the  troops  at  Warsaw,  to  meet  him  and  the  main 
body  at  Golden's  Point,  about  seven  miles  from  the 
city.  But  on  the  morning  of  the  day  fixed  for  the 
march,  he  wavered  in  his  intention  of  taking  a  force 
into  the  city,  and  called  a  council  of  his  officers  for 
consultation.  A  small  majority  of  them  voted  in 
favor  of  going  ;  but  the  Governor  took  the  responsi- 
bility, countermanded  his  orders,  and  disbanded  the 
troops — except  three  companies,  two  to  remain  at 
Carthage,  and  one  to  accompany  himself  and  a  few 
friends  into  Nauvoo.  An  order  to  this  effect  was 
accordingly  forwarded  to  the  companies  at  Warsaw, 
who  were  already  on  the  march,  and  they  were  met 


THE    ATONEMENT.  375 

on  the  prairie  by  the  disbanding  officer  before 
reaching  Golden's  Point.  After  being  disbanded, 
portions  of  these  returned  to  their  homes,  while 
others  changed  their  course  eastward  toward  the 
county  seat.  The  two  companies  left  to  guard  the 
jail  were  put  under  command  of  Captain  Robert  F. 
Smith,  of  the  Carthage  Greys,  an  independent  and 
well-disciplined  company — his  own  being  one  of 
them.* 

"Having  ordered  the  guard  and  left  Gen.  Dem- 
ing  in  command  in  Carthage,  and  discharged  the 
residue  of  the  militia,  I  immediately  departed 
for  Nauvoo,  eighteen  miles  distant,  accompanied 
by  Col.  Buckmaster,  Quarter-Master-General,  and 
Capt.  Dunn's  (Augusta)  company  of  dragoons." 
—Ford's  Hist.  p.  345. 

It  was  supposed  that  one,  and  perhaps  a  chief 
purpose  of  this  expedition,  wras  "to  search  for 
counterfeit  money."  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  Gov^ 
ernor  changed  his  mind  again.  He  began  to  fear 
an  attack  on  the  jail,  it  was  said ;  so  he  decided  to 
omit  the  search,  but  to  hurry  on  to  the  city,  make 
the  Mormons  a  speech,  and  return  to  Carthage  the 
same  night.  The  baggage  wagons  were  halted  on 
the  prairie,  with  orders  to  return  at  night.  He  and 
his  escort  reached  the  city  about  four  o'clock.  The 

*Some  writers  have  criticised  Governor  Ford  severely  for 
leaving  this  officer  and  his  company  as  guard  to  the  prisoners, 
charging  that  they  were  conspicuously  enemies  to  the  prophet. 
This  was  not  the  fact.  That  company  had  no  reason  to  be,  and 
were  no  more  hostile  to  Smith  and  the  Mormons  than  any 
others  of  the  old  citizens  of  the  county. 


276  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

people  were  called  together,  and  the  Governor 
made  them  an  address,  in  which,  he  says,  he  rated 
them  pretty  severely  for  their  bad  conduct,  and 
ended  by  putting  the  vote  whether  they  would  in 
future  obey  the  laws.  They  unanimously  voted 
YES  ! — when  his  excellency  and  his  retinue  started 
back  to  Carthage  a  little  before  sundown.  A  few 
miles  out  from  the  city  they  were  met  by  a  messen- 
ger with  the  information  that  the  prophet  and  7m- 
brother  had  been  assailed  in  jail  by  a  mob,  and 
KILLED  !  The  messenger  who  brought  the  news 
was  ordered  to  return  with  them  to  Carthage, 
which  he  did ;  but  by  some  unknown  means  the 
news  reached  the  city  during  the  night. 

General  consternation  now  pervaded  the  whole 
county.  The  troops  had  been  disbanded,  and 
most  of  them  had,  during  the  day,  left  for  their 
homes.  Captain  Dunn's  company,  with  the  Gov- 
ernor and  the  two  companies  left  at  Carthage,  were 
all  that  were  now  under  arms  in  the  county  to  con- 
front the  Legion  should  it  make  a  raid  to  avenge 
its  chief.  The  Governor,  in  a  state  of  .high  excite- 
ment, hurried  on  with  his  command  to  Carthage, 
where  he  arrived  long  after  night,  only  to  find  the 
place  partially  deserted  ;  and  all  who  had  not  gone, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  were  going  as  fast  as  means 
of  conveyance  could  be  found  for  their  families. 
All  were  fleeing  in  an  easterly  or  south-easterly 


THE    ATONEMENT.  277 

direction,  opposite  to  that  of  the  Mormon  city. 
The  bodies  of  the  murdered  men,  together  with 
that  of  John  Taylor,  their  wounded  companion, 
and  Willard  Richards,  who  was  unhurt,  had  been 
removed  by  kindly  hands  to  the  hotel,  where  they 
remained  during  the  night.  General  Deming  had 
left  for  his  home  in  the  country  during  the  after- 
noon, before  the  deed  had  been  committed.  The 
Governor  only  halted  long  enough  to  denounce  the 
people  for  their  folly,  and  rode  on  to  Augusta  that 
night,  and  thence  the  next  day  to  Quincy. 

At  Warsaw,  the  people  were  not  long  in  hearing 
of  the  crime,  and  apprehending  Mormon  vengeance, 
many  of  them  also  hurried  from  their  homes, 
mostly  taking  refuge  in  Alexandria,  across  the 
river  in  Missouri.  Picket  guards  were  placed  about 
both  Carthage  and  Warsaw,  to  watch  the  approach 
of  the  enemy. 

At  Nauvoo  the  greatest  consternation  prevailed. 
The  messenger  bringing  them  the  news  had  been 
turned  back  by  the  Governor ;  yet  late  at  night  the 
terrible  fact  had  somehow  reached  the  city.  The 
people  were  appalled  at  the  disaster  which  had  be- 
fallen them.  Not  knowing  that  the  troops  had  been 
disbanded,  and  fearing  an  attack  from  the  mob,  they 
also  fled  from  their  homes — many  of  them  cross- 
ing over  into  Iowa. 

From   a  late  account  of  these  exciting  events, 


278  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYHA. 

which  we  find  in  a  New  York  paper,  written 
by  a  highly  intelligent  gentleman  who  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Carthage  at  that  time  and  well  known  in 
the  county,  we  make  the  following  extract.  He 
claims  to  have  been,  and  was,  an  accidental  eye 
witness  to  the  attack  on  the  jail.  He  sa}7s  : 

"The  Governor  indiscreetly  had  Joseph  and  his 
brother  taken  round  and  formally  presented  to  the 
soldiery.  The  latter  were  incensed  that  so  much 
respect  should  be  shown  a  criminal,  and  suspected 
that  he  would  be  let  off  upon  his  submission,  with- 
out any  adequate  punishment ;  whereas,  they  had 
answered  the  Governor's  call  in  the  expectation  of 
sterner  dealing.  Their  suspicions  were  strength- 
ened by  the  fact  that  the  prisoners,  instead  of 
being  confined  in  the  criminal's  apartment  of  the 
jail,  were  allowed  to  occupy  a  parlor  chamber  with 
their  friends,  under  a  guard  of  six  soldiers,  de- 
tailed from  the  Carthage  Greys,  stationed  at  the 
front  door  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway. 

"  On  the  morning  of  June  27th,  Governor  Ford 
discharged  all  his  forces  except  a  cavalry  company 
and  the  Carthage  Greys,  and  leaving  the  jail,  with 
Smith  and  his  friends  in  the  parlor  chamber,  in 
charge  of  reliefs  of  guards  from  the  Greys,  he  went 
with  the  cavalry  to  Nauvoo  to  inspect  the  city,  to 
give  good  advice  to  the  Mormons,  and  require  a 
surrender  of  the  State  arms  in 'their  possession. 

"  The  militia  from  other  counties  started  home 
with  alacrity.  But  two  companies  from  the  south- 
west portion  of  Hancock  seemed  to  linger  and  de- 
part reluctantly.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  a  large 
body  of  men  was  seen  coming  rapidly  from  the 
west  on  the  road  over  which  the  two  companies  had 
departed,  who,  about  a  mile  from  town,  turned  off 
north  to  a  line  of  woods  coming  down  back  of  the 


THE    ATONEMENT.  279 

jail.  Soon  they  emerged  from  the  woods  and  came 
up  to  the  jail  upon  the  double-quick.  As  they  came 
round  to  the  front,  the  guard,  standing  on  the  steps, 
fired  down  from  an  elevation  of  three  or  four  feet 
into  the  midst  of  them,  when  not  twenty  feet  dis- 
tant. The  writer  saw  six  flashes  streaming  toward 
the  crowd,  but  nobody  fell.  The  assailants,  having 
their  faces  blackened  with  powder,  rushed  forward 
and  seized  the  guards  and  threw  them  upon  the 
ground.  Most  of  them  were  easy  to  handle ;  but 
one,  who  did  not  know  that  ball  cartridges  had  been 
replaced  \vith  blanks  in  their  guns,  at  the  last  relief — 
who  was  not  in  the  secret  at  all,  but  thought  he  had 
fired  to  kill,  and  was  all  in  earnest  throughout — a 
tall,  athletic,  stammering  boy  of  nineteen  years — 
made  it  rough  for  those  who  held  him.  He  floun- 
dered and  pounded,  vociferating,  <  Y-y-y-y-you  ! ' 
4  Lie  still,  you  fool,  we're  not  going  to  hurt  you  ! ' 
« D-d-d — '  continued  Frank,  kicking  and  strug- 
gling to  break  loose,  and  trying  frantically  to  break 
the  third  commandment,  though  his  impediment  of 
speech  saved  him  from  the  actual  sin. 

"As  many  as  could,  now  rushed  up  the  stairway, 
at  the  head  of  which  was  the  room  where  the  pris- 
oner and  his  friends  were.  They  tried  in  vain  to 
burst  in  the  door,  for  the  Smiths  and  two  bishops 
— :ill  heavy  men — bore  against  it  from  the  other 
side.  Then,  turning  the  muzzles  of  their  guns 
against  the  thin-paneled  door,  several  of  them  fired, 
killing  Hyrum,  and  wounding  Joseph  and  Bishop 
Taylor, — when  all  inside  retreated,  except  Richards, 
who,  shielded  in  a  corner  behind  the  noAV  opened 
door,  escaped  unhurt.  A  window  opposite  the 
door  was  open,  and  Joseph  sprang  upon  its  broad 
sill  as  if  to  get  out ;  but  balls  struck  him  from  lie- 
hind,  and  with  a  loud  cry  he  pitched  headlong  to 
the  ground.  Balls  from  the  outside  met  his  falling 
body.  It  seemed  to  me — twenty  rods  distant,  but 


280  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

in  full  sight — that  he  for  a  moment  partly  raised 
himself  to  a  sitting  posture  against  a  well-curb  be- 
side which  he  fell ;  but  it  is  not  true,  as  wras  some- 
times reported,  that  his  assailants  leaned  his  body 
up  against  the  curb,  and  made  it  a  target.  .  .  » 
"A  panic  spread,  and  within  two  hours  the  town 
was  deserted,  with  the  exception  of  the  Hamilton 
Hotel,  where  the  killed  and  wounded  were  taken, 
and  a  few  gathered  for  service,  and  a  harbor  for 
safety  in  the  expected  storm.  Men,  women,  and 
children  fled  in  wagons,  on  horseback  and  afoot, 
while  Delenda  est  Carthago  seemed  sounding  in 
their  ears." — J.  H.  S.,  in  Ithaca  (N.  F.)  Journal^ 
April,  1886. 


HOW    THE    DEED    WAS    DONE.          281 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

HOW    THE    DEED    WAS    DONE. 

EFFECT  OF  THE  PANIC — GOVERNOR  FORD'S  PLAN  EEVEALED — 
ATTACK  ON  THE  JAIL  BY  THE  MOB — THE  PROPHET  AND  His 
BROTHER  KILLED — How  IT  WAS  DONE — PURPOSES  OF  THE 

MOB — WlLLARD  RlCHARDS'S  STATEMENT. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  June,  1844,  the 
sun  rose  on  as  strange  a  scene  as  the  broad  Han- 
cock prairies  had  ever  witnessed.  At  the  three 
corners  of  a  triangle,  eighteen  miles  asunder,  two  of 
them  resting  on  the  Mississippi,  stood  a  smitten 
and  mourning  city  and  two  almost  deserted  villages, 
with  here  and  there  a  group  of  questioning  men, 
anxious  to  obtain  the  news  of  the  night.  These 
were  Nauvoo  and  the  villages  of  Carthage  and  War- 
saw. Toward  the  two  villages,  the  more  coura- 
geous ones  who  had  fled  the  evening  before,  were 
now  returning,  tired  and  worn,  to  find  their  several 
homes  unsacked  and  untouched,  and  their  streets 
untrodden  by  a  vengeful  and  infuriated  foe.  The 
wet  and  heavy  roads  leading  to  the  county  seat 
from  the  east  and  south  were  being  again  traversed 
by  the  refugees  of  the  night,  now  returning  where 
they  had  so  lately  fled  in  terror.  The  blue  waves 


282  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

of  the  Mississippi  rolled  peacefully  past  the  stricken 
city,  as  when,  a  few  days  before,  its  shores  re- 
sounded to  the  Legion's  martial  tread.  All  the 
people  knew  that  a  great  crime  had  been  committed, 
by  whom  they  dared  not  guess ;  and  they  knew 
not  how,  upon  whom,  where,  or  in  what  manner, 
retribution  might  fall ! 

Governor  Ford  very  justly  concluded  that  for  the 
time  being  his  authority  was  at  an  end.  He  had 
by  his  vacillating  course  failed  to  satisfy  either 
party,  and  both  regarded  him  with  distrust.  He 
accordingly  hurried  from  the  county,  and  brought 
up  at  Quincy,  forty  miles  from  the  scene  of  the 
troubles.  It  was  strongly  suspected  by  some  of 
the  citizens  that  he  had  contemplated  an  escape  of 
the  prisoners,  after  the  manner  of  Missouri ;  and 
he  was  very  angry  with  them  for  harboring  such  a 
suspicion.  But  in  his  book,  written  some  years 
afterwards,  he  acknowledged  that  he  had  such  a 
plan,  and  complained  that  it  was  <«  thwarted  by  the 
insane  folly  of  the  Anti-Mormons."  [P.  339.] 
This  fact  was  never  fully  known  until  made  pub- 
lic by  himself.  The  consummation  of  his  plan 
could  hardly  have  been  effected  without  bloodshed. 
And  here  we  have  a  repetition  of  the  humiliating 
fact,  that  the  executive  head  of  a  great  State, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  execute  the  laws,  connived  at 
the  escape  of  great  criminals,  in  order  to  avoid  the 


HOW    THE    DEED    WAS    DONE.  283 

responsibilities  devolving  upon  him,  and  as  the  easi- 
est way  of  getting  rid  of  troublesome  men. 

The  charge  has  been  made,  and  generally  believed, 
that  the  Warsaw  troops,  disbanded  in  the  morning 
on  the  prairie,  furnished  most  of  the  mobbers. 
That  is  probable  from  the  fact  that  when  the  attack 
was  made  in  the  afternoon,  the  jail  was  approached 
from  that  direction ;  though  it  is  by  no  means  con- 
clusive— as  there  was  ample  time  for  others  to  have 
assembled  in  the  woods  to  the  northwest  of  the 
town,  where  the  plot  was  probably  concocted.  Those 
troops  were  partly  composed  of  citizens  of  Warsaw 
and  partly  from  the  surrounding  country,  with  a 
few  from  Missouri  and  other  places.  Whoever 
they  may  have  been,  they  came  from  the  direction 
of  those  woods,  and  were  observed  to  approach  in 
single  file  and  quickstep  until  they  came  to  the 
fence  surrounding  the  jail.  From  the  best  informa- 
tion now  to  be  obtained,  they  numbered  not  more 
than  forty  or  fifty — certainly  less  than  a  hundred. 
On  reaching  the  fence,  they  scaled  it  at  once  and 
seized  the  guards.  These  were  soon  overpowered, 
and  a  rush  made  for  the  door  of  the  jail,  the  prison- 
ers being  confined  in  the  upper  story.  The  door 
was  assailed  and  burst  open.  The  prisoners  in- 
side were  behind  it,  well  armed,  and  endeavoring 
to  prevent  ingress.  As  the  door  would  yield  to  the 
outside  pressure,  the  prophet  fired  several  shots 


284  THE    PliOPHET    OF   PALMYliA. 

around  the  edge  with  his  revolver.  The  mob  fired 
through  the  door,  and  in  this  way  killed  Hyruin 
Smith  and  wounded  John  Taylor  severely.  Find- 
ing that  they  were  being  overpowered,  Richards, 
who  was  still  unhurt,  ran  with  Taylor,  wounded, 
into  the  inner  dungeon ;  while  Joseph  Smith  has- 
tened to  a  window  on  the  east  side,  raised  the 
sash,  and  leaned  partly  out,  probably  with  a  view 
of  jumping,  when  he  was  shot  by  several  balls  from 
the  outside,  and  fell  to  the  ground  near  the  well- 
curb.  It  has  been  stated — and  is  always  so  told  by 
the  Mormons — that  after  his  fall  he  was  set  up 
against  the  curb  and  several  times  shot.  This, 
from  reliable  information,  we  believe  was  not  the 
case ;  that  no  shot  was  fired  after  he  fell,  and  that 
he  died  from  the  two  or  three  shots  received  in  the 
window.  The  story  originated  with  one  Daniels, 
who  afterwards  issued  a  little  pamphlet  giving  a 
most  miraculous  account  of  the  transaction. 

Governor  Ford  and  others  have  stated  that  the 
plan  had  been  devised  and  arranged  between  the 
mob  and  the  Carthage  Greys,  and  that  the  guard  of 
ten  men  of  that  company  around  the  jail  made  but  a 
feint  at  resistance.  It  is  certainly  true  that  a  por- 
tion of  the  Greys  knew  that  something  was  to  be 
done,  but  others,  and  the  great  body  of  them,  knew 
nothing  about  it.  These  were  wholly  ignorant, 
until  the  firing  was  heard  at  the  camp  on  the  pub- 


HOW    THE    DEED    WAS    DOXE.  2~, 

lit-  square;  and  then,  in  .common  with  the  rest  of 
the  citizens,  they  appreifciicTeil  a  Mormon  rescue. 

The  Governor  also  charges  that  the  mob  had  se- 
lected that  lime — while  he  was  ..in  Xauvoo  and  in 
the  power  of  the  Mormons — to  do  the  bloody  deed, 
in  order  to  compass  his  own  destruction  at  Mormon 
hands  in  revenue.  His  own  too  excitable  and  sus- 
picious nature  originated  the  thought.  There  was 
not  the  slightest  foundation  for  the  chanre.  So  far 

C  v_ 

from  it  being  the  fact  that  they  designed  and  con- 
templated the  murder  of  the  Governor,  we  believe 
they  had  not  even  planned  for  the  kilUny  of  the 
prisoners!  This  avowal  will  no  doubt  be  read  with 
surprise  by  many  of  our  reader*  ;  for  we  well  know 
that  the  Governor's  unfounded  statements,  coupled 
with  the  Mormon  accounts  of  the  cruelty  and  blood- 
thirstiness  of  the  mob.  have  long  since  and  always 
been  received  as  valid  history.  It  is  hard  at  all 
times  to  tell  the  plans  and  purposes  of  a  mob ;  in- 
deed, it  is  safe  to  say  that  in  many  cases  its  work 
is  accomplished  without  any  preconceived  or  defined 
plan.  This  mob  we  believe  to  have  been  one  of  these. 
Their  work  is  not  to  be  excused  or  palliated, 
nevertheless.  They  were  therefor  a  wrongful  and 
unlawful  purpose,  though  that  purpose  may  not 
have  been  clearly  defined. 

A  review  of  the  circumstances  will  give  the  basis 
for  the  opinion  above  expressed.     There  had  been  in 


236.         THE    PItOPHET    OF'  PALMYHA. 

the  near  past,  as  we  have  seen,  several  demands  made 
by  the  authorities  of  Missouri  for  the  delivery  of 
the  prophet,  all  of  which  had  in  some  way  been 
thwarted.  Added  to  this,  only  a  few  days  before, 
two  or  throe  public  meetings  had  been  held,  at 
which  resolutions  had  invited  the  Governor  of  that 
State  to  make  another  demand,  and  pledged  aid 
to  carry  it  into  effect.  So  far  the  purpose  of  the 
mob  may  have  been  definite — and  until  the  jail 
was  reached.  There,  instead  of  finding  two  un- 
armed and  defenceless  men,  as  the}'  had  reason  to 
believe — for  Taylor  and  Richards  were  there  of 
their  own  accord — they  were  met  at  the  door  by 
four  men  armed  with  revolvers,  able  to  make,  and 
who  did  make,  a  vigorous  resistance — and  the  strug- 
gle ended  in  death. 

It  has  been  stated  that  two  or  three  of  the  mob- 
be  rs  wore  wounded  and  carried  away.  We  know 
not  whether  this  is  so.  As  soon  as  it  became 
known  that  the  Smiths  were  killed,  the  mobbers 
rapidly  retreated  from  the  scene,  in  the  direction 
they  had  come.  As  soon  as  the  "noise  of  the  at- 
tack was  heard  in  the  town,  the  Carthage  Greys, 
from  their  camp  on  the  square,  with  other  citi- 
zens, hurried  to  the  jail,  only  in  time  to  witness 
the  retreat  of  the  mobbers.  They  found  the 
prophet  lying  dead  near  or  against  the  well-curb; 
his  brother  Ilyrum  was  dead  upstairs  ;  and  \Villard 


HOW    THE    DEED    WAS    DONE.  287 

Richards  unhurt  and  John  Taylor  badly  wounded, 
were  found  in  an  inner  room  where  they  had  taken 
refuge.  They  were  all  removed  by  kindly  hands 
to  Hamilton's  Hotel,  and  properly  cared  for. 

The  "  Book  of  Daniels,"  heretofore  referred  to, 
was  such  a  curiosity  in  itself  and  contained  so 
many  wonderful  statements,  that  it  was  worthy  of 
preservation  as  a  specimen  of  the  literature  and 
truthfulness  of  the  times.  It  was  put  forth  at  Nau- 
voo  by  one  Win.  M.  Daniels,  an  unknown  youth, 
who  said  that  he  was  among  the  Warsaw  troops 
and  at  the  jail  when  the  deed  was  done,  and  that 
he  was  subsequently  warned  in  a  dream  that  he 
must  go  and  join  the  Saints  and  publish  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  affair  to  the  world,  in  order  to  further 
the  ends  of  justice.  He  accordingly  went  to  Nauvoo, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  a  printer  there  his 
pamphlet  was  issued.  AVith  great  particularity  he 
described  how  the  plan  was  arranged  between  the 
Warsaw  people  and  the  Carthage  Greys — that  he 
was  present  when  the  killing  was  done,  and  saw  it 
done,  etc.,  etc.  He  tells  that  after  Joseph  fell  to 
the  ground : 

"A  fellow  six  feet  tall  and  upwards,  holding  a 
pewter  flute  in  his  hand,  bare-headed  and  bare- 
footed, having  on  nothing  but  his  pants  and  shirt, 
with  his  sleeves  rolled  above  his  elbows  and  his 
pants  rolled  above  his  knees,  picked  him  up  in- 
stantly and  set  him  upon  the  south  side  of  the  well- 


288  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

curl),  situated  three  or  four  feet  from  the  building. 
As  the  ruffian  sprang  over  the  fence  to  Genera) 
Smith,  and  while  he  was  in  the  act  of  picking  him 
up,  he  said  :  '  This  is  old  Joe  ;  I  know  him.  I 
know  you,  old  Joe,  d  —  n  you  ;  you  are  the  man 
that  had  my  daddy  shot.'  The  reason  of  his  talk- 
ing in  this  way,  I  suppose,  was  that  he  wished  to 
pass  himself  to  General  Smith  as  being  the  son  of 
Governor  Boggs.  .  .  .  Four  of  the  ruffians 
who  stood  in  front  of  Colonel  Williams,  about  eight 
feet  east  of  the  curb,  were  ordered  by  Williams  to 
fire.  They  raised  their  muskets  and  the  fire  was 
simultaneous.  .  .  .  After  the  breath  had  left 
his  body,  the  person  I  have  previously  described, 
who  had  passed  as  the  son  of  Governor  Boggs, 
caught  up  a  bowie  knife  for  the  purpose  of  cutting 
off  his  head.  The  knife  was  raised  ready  to  strike, 
when  a  light,  so  strange,  so  bright  and  sudden, 
flashed  between  him  and  the  corpse,  that  he  and  the 
four  men  who  had  shot  him,  were  struck  with  terror 
and  consternation.  Their  muskets  fell  from  their 
hands,  and  they  stood  like  marble,  not  having 
power  to  move  a  single  limb.  They  were  about  to 
lie  left,  when  Colonel  Williams,  who  had  also  be- 
held and  been  terrified  at  the  light,  shouted  out  to 
the  men  :  '  For  God's  sake,  come  and  carry  away 
these  men  !  '  They  were  obliged  to  carry  them 
away,  as  they  were  as  helpless  as  though  they  were 
dead.  This  light  was  something  like  the  flash  of 
lightning,  and  was  so  much  brighter  than  the  day, 
that  after  it  had  passed  it  left  a  slight  darkness  like 
a  twiliht  !  " 


Daniels  further  states,  that  when  it  became  known 
that  he  was  going  to  lie  a  witness  against  the  ac- 
cused, and  the  nature  of  his  testimony  became 
public,  the  sum  of  $2,500  was  offered  him  to  leave 


HOW    THE    DEED    WAS    DONE.  289 

the  State  ;  this  failing,  efforts  were  made  to  put  him 
out  of  the  way  by  violence  ! 

And  he  was  subsequently  subpoenaed  as  a  wit- 
ness ;  but  the  nature  of  his  testimony  threw  it  out 
of  court. 

As  part  of  the  history  of  the  transaction,  we  copy 
here  Willard  Richards's  report,  as  communicated  to 
the  Nauvoo  Neighbor  a  few  days  afterwards.  Mr. 
Richards,  it  seems,  saw  nothing  of  the  blinding 
light  which  so  overpowered  the  mobbers,  though 
standing  at  the  window  at  the  time  : 

TWO   MINUTES    IN   JAIL. 

"  Possibly  the  following  events  occupied  near  three 
minutes,  but  I  think  only  about  two,  and  have 
penned  them  for  the  gratification  of  many  friends  : 

"CARTHAGE,  June  27,  1844. 

< <  A  shower  of  musket  balls  were  thrown  lip  the 
stairway  against  the  door  of  the  prison  in  the 
second  story,  followed  by  many  rapid  footsteps; 
while  Generals  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  Mr. 
Taylor  and  myself,  who  were  in  the  front  cham- 
ber, closed  the  door  of  our  room,  against  the 
entry  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  placed  ourselves 
against  it,  there  being  no  lock  on  the  door,  and  no 
ketch  that  was  useable.  The  door  is  a  common 
panel,  and  as  soon  as  we  heard  the  feet  at  the 
stairs'  head,  a  ball  was  sent  through  the  door,  which 
passed  between  us,  and  showed  that  our  enemies 
were  desperadoes,  and  we  must  change  our  posit  ion. 
General  Joseph  Smith,  Mr.  Taylor,  and  myself, 
sprang  back  to  the  front  part  of  the  room,  and 
General  Hyrum  Smith  retreated  two-thirds  across 


290  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

the  chamber  directly  in  front  of  and  facing  the  door. 
A  ball  was  sent  through  the  door  which  hit  Hyrum 
on  the  side  of  his  nose,  when  he  fell  backwards 
extended  at  length  without  moving  his  feet.  From 
the  holes  in  his  vest  (the  day  was  warm,  and  no 
one  had  their  coats  on  but  myself),  pantaloons, 
drawers  .and  shirt,  it  appears  evident  that  a  ball 
must  have  been  thrown  from  without  through  the 
window,  which  entered  his  back  on  the  right  side 
and  passing  through,  lodged  against  his  watch, 
which  was  in  his  right  vest  pocket,  completely  pul- 
verizing the  crystal  and  face,  tearing  off  the  hands 
and  mashing  the  whole  body  of  the  watch,  at  the 
same  instant  the  ball  from  the  door  entered  his 
nose.  As  he  struck  the  floor  he  exclaimed  em- 
phatically :  </'m  a  dead  man!7  Joseph  looked 
towards  him  and  responded ;  '  Oh  dear !  .Brother 
Hyrum! '  and  opening  the  door  two  or  three  inches 
with  his  left  hand,  discharged  one  barrel  of  a  six- 
shooter  (pistol)  at  random  in  the  entry,  from 
whence  a  ball  grazed  Hyr urn's  breast,  and  entering 
his  throat,  passed  into  his  head — while  other  muskets 
were  aimed  at  him,  and  some  balls  hit  him.  Joseph 
continued  snapping  his  revolver  round  the  casing 
of  the  door  into  the  space  as  before  (three  barrels 
of  which  missed  fire),  while  Mr.  Taylor,  with  a 
walking  stick,  stood  by  his  side  and  knocked  down 
the  bayonets  and  muskets  which  were  constantly 
discharging  through  the  doorway,  while  I  stood  by, 
ready  to  lend  my  assistance,  with  another  stick  ;  but 
could  not  come  within  striking  distance,  without 
going  directly  before  the  muzzle  of  the  guns.  When 
the  revolver  failed,  we  had  no  more  fire-arms,  and 
expecting  an  immediate  rush  of  the  mob,  and  the 
doorway  full  of  muskets — half-way  in  the  room, 
and  no  hope  but  instant  death  from  within — Mr. 
Taylor  rushed  into  the  window,  which  is  some  fif- 
teen or  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  When  his 


HOW    THE    DEED    WAS    DOSE.  291 

body  was  nearly  on  a  balance,  a  ball  from  the  door 
within  entered  his  leg,  and  a  ball  from  without 
struck  his  watch,  a  patent  lever,  in  his  vest  pocket, 
near  the  left  breast,  and  smashed  it  in  «  pie,'  leaving 
the  hands  standing  5  o'clock,  16  minutes  and  26 
seconds, — the  force  of  which  ball  threw  him  back 
on  the  floor,  and  he  rolled  under  the  bed  by  his 
side,  where  he  lay  motionless,  the  mob  from  the 
door  continuing  to  fire  upon  him,  cutting  away  a 
piece  of  flesh  from  his  left  hip  as  large  as  a  man's 
hand,  and  were  hindered  only  by  my  knocking  down 
their  muzzles  with  a  stick ;  while  they  continued  to 
reach  their  guns  into  the  room,  probably  left- 
handed,  and  aimed  their  discharge  so  far  around  as 
almost  to  reach  us  in  the  corner  of  the  room  to 
where  we  retreated  and  dodged,  and  then  I  re-com- 
menced my  attack  with,  the  stick  again.  Joseph 
attempted  as  the  last  resort,  to  leap  the  same  win- 
dow from  whence  Mr.  Taylor  fell,  when  two  balls 
pierced  him  from  the  door,  and  one  entered  his 
right  breast  from  without,  and  he  fell  outward,  ex- 
claiming, *  0  Lord,  my  God!'  As  his  feet  went 
out  of  the  window  my  head  went  in,  the  balls 
whistling  all  around.  He  fell  on  his  left  side,  a 
dead  man.  At  this  instant  the  cry  was  raised,  'He's 
leaped  the  window  ! 9  and  the  mob  on  the  stairs  and 
in  the  entry  ran  out.  I  withdrew  from  the  window, 
thinking  it  of  no  use  to  leap  out  on  a  hundred  bayo- 
nets, then  around  General  Smith's  body.  Not  sat- 
isfied with  this,  I  again  reached  my  head  out  of  the 
window  and  watched  some  seconds,  to  see  if  there 
were  any  signs  of  life,  regardless  of  my  own,  de- 
termined to  see  the  end  of  him  I  loved  ;  being  fully 
satisfied  that  he  was  dead,  with  a  hundred  men  near 
the  body  and  more  coming  around  the  corner  of 
the  jail,  and  expecting  a  return  to  our  room,  I 
rushed  towards  the  prison  door,  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs,  and  through  the  entry  from  whence  the  firing 


292  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

had  proceeded,  to  learn  if  the  doors  into  the  prison 
were  open.  When  near  the  entry,  Mr.  Taylor 
called  out,  *  Take  me!'  I  pressed  my  way  till  I 
found  all  doors  unbarred,  returning  instantly 
caught  Mr.  Taylor  under  my  arm,  and  rushed  by 
the  stairs  into  the  dungeon,  or  inner  prison,  stretched 
him  on  the  floor  and  covered  him  with  a  bed,  in  such 
a  manner  as  not  likely  to  be  perceived,  expecting 
an  immediate  return  of  the  mob.  I  said  to  Mr. 
Taylor,  This  is  a  hard  case,  to  lay  you  on  the  floor  ; 
but  if  your  wounds  are  not  fatal,  I  want  you  to  live 
to  tell  the  story.  I  expected  to  be  shot  the  next 
moment,  and  stood  before  the  door  awaiting  the 
onset. 

"  WILLARD  RICHARDS." 
— Nauvoo  Neighbor,  July  24,  1844. 


AHJiEXW,   INDICTMENTS,    TMIALS.       293 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

ARRESTS,    INDICTMENTS,    AND    TRIALS. 

MILITARY  ENCAMPMENT  CALLED— THE  WOLF  HUNT — GOV- 
ERNOR FORD  INTERFERES — BRINGS  ANOTHER  FORCE- 
MARCH  TO  NAUVOO — To  WARSAW — JOSEPH  H.  JACKSON 
INDICTMENTS — TRIALS  OF  THE  PRISONERS — FOUND  NOT 
GUILTY. 

DURING  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1844,  after 
the  death  of  the  prophet,  great  dissatisfaction  and 
trouble  existed  at  Nauvoo,  growing  mainly  out  of 
the  struggle  for  the  succession.  Rigdon  and  his 
adherents  were  at  work  against  Brigham  Young, 
who  was  cunningly  allying  the  rest  of  the  Twelve 
to  his  interests.  Many  of  the  rank  and  file  were 
becoming  lukewarm,  and  were  quietly  leaving  the 
city ;  at  the  same  time,  others  were  retiring  from 
the  Mormon  settlements  in  other  parts  of  the 
county,  some  locating  in  the  city,  and  others  scat- 
tering to  other  counties. 

To  add  to  the  excitement,  a  grand  military  en- 
campment was  called,  to  be  held  at  Warsaw  in 
October.  It  was  called  by  the  officers  of  several 
independent  companies,  and  had  no  other  purpose 
in  view,  it  is  believed,  than  was  expressed  in  the 
call ;  yet  it  gave  great  uneasiness  to  the  Mormons 


294  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

and  their  friends.  They  saw  in  it  something  more 
than  a  peaceful  military  display  ;  and  it  soon  became 
magnified  into  a  great  "  Wolf  Hunt,"  in  which  the 
wolves  to  be  hunted  were  imagined  to  be  the  Mor- 
mons themselves.  The  excitement  spread,  and  the 
Governor  was  appealed  to  to  interpose.  His  ex- 
cellency allowed  himself  to  be  misled,  and  without 
making  proper  inquiry,  he  decided  to  again  send 
an  expedition  into  the  county.  A  proclamation 
was  accordingly  issued,  calling  for  twenty-five 
hundred  volunteers,  and  after  several  days  a  force 
of  four  hundred  and  fifty  marched  into  the  county 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  John  J.  Hardin, 
accompanied  by  the  Governor.  Two  independent 
companies  were  sent  directly  from  Quincy  to  Nauvoo 
by  the  river. 

Some  days  previous  to  the  call  for  troops,  Mur- 
ray McConnell,  Esq.,  a  noted  attorney  of  Jackson- 
ville, had  been  sent  into  the  county,  at  the  instance 
of  the  Governor ;  and  the  result  was  that  several 
persons  were  selected  as  examples  for  arrest, 
charged  with  the  murder  of  the  Smiths.  These 
persons  were,  Colonel  Levi  Williams  of  Green 
Plains,  Thomas  C.  Sharp,  Esq.,  of  the  Warsaw 
Signal,  Joseph  H.  Jackson,  and  William  and  Wilson 
Law,  and  Dr.  Robert  D.  and  Charles  A.  Fos- 
ter (the  last  four  seceding  Mormons  and  part 
owners  of  the  Expositor),  who  were  now  residing 


ESfSi    INDICTMENTS,    TRIALS.       295 

at  Rock  Island.  Writs  for  them  were  issued  by 
Aaron  Johnson,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  Nauvoo. 
These  writs,  except  as  to  Colonel  Williams,  were 
duly  served ;  but  all  refused  to  go  to  Nauvoo  for  a 
hearing,  and  no  attempt  was  made  to  take  them 
there. 

After  a  stay  of  a  day  or  two  at  Carthage,  the 
Governor's  army  was  marched  to  Nauvoo,  on  the 
27th,  and  encamped  below  the  city.  On  the  28th 
the  Nauvoo  Legion  was  paraded  for  review.  From 
Nauvoo  the  troops  were  ordered  to  Warsaw,  where 
they  arrived  on  the  29th,  and  encamped  in  the 
suburbs.  As  they  approached,  the  men  apprehend- 
ing arrest  fled  across  the  river  to  Alexandria. 
Learning  this  fact,  Governor  Ford  chartered  a  keel- 
boat  at  Montebello,  and  had  it  secretly  dropped 
down  to  the  vicinity  of  Warsaw,  intending  to  use 
it  that  night  in  kidnapping  the  accused  from  Mis- 
souri and  bringing  them  to  the  Illinois  side.  But 
during  the  afternoon,  Colonels  Hardin  and  Baker 
visited  the  Missouri  side  and  had  a  conference  with 
the  accused.  An  agreement  was  entered  into  by 
which  Williams  and  Sharp  (Jackson  being  sick) 
agreed  to  give  themselves  up,  on  condition  that 
they  should  be  taken  before  Judge  Thomas  of  the 
circuit  for  examination.  Thus  the  Governor's  plan 
for  kidnapping  them  fell  through.  The  writ  was 
accordingly  read  to  them,  and  afterwards,  with 


296  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

Colonel  Baker  as  counsel,  and  escorted  by  a  detach- 
ment of  Quincy  troops,  they  were  shipped  to  that 
city  in  quest  of  the  Judge.  Here,  after  waiting 
two  days,  and  no  prosecuting  witnesses  appearing, 
they  entered  into  voluntary  recognizances  to  appear 
at  next  term  of  court,  and  were  set  at  liberty ;  thus 
leaving  the  whole  matter  just  as  it  was  previous  to 
the  Governor's  expedition.  All  this  occurred  just 
previous  to  the  October  term  of  court,  at  which 
the  indictments  were  found. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  Joseph  H.  Jackson. 
Mr.  J.  was  an  adventurer  of  fine  appearance  and 
gentlemanly  manners,  who  appeared  in  the  county 
during  the  troubles ;  went  to  Nauvoo  and  became 
quite  intimate  with  Smith  and  the  leaders  ;  afterwards 
turned  against  them — went  to  Warsaw  and  issued 
a  pamphlet  claiming  to  be  an  exposd  of  Mormonism 
and  the  evil  purposes  and  practices  of  the  prophet. 
This  book  made  many  charges  against  Smith  and  his 
adherents — charges  of  murder  and  conspiracy,  of 
counterfeiting,  debauchery,  "  spiritual -wifery,"* 
etc.  ;  and  claimed  that  he  went  among  them  solely 
for  the  purpose  of  exposing  them.  If  half  of  Jack- 
son's statements  were  true,  the  prophet  and  some 
of  his  abettors  should  have  been  hung  ;  if  not  true, 


*  This  terra,  "  Spiritual-wifery,"  had  its  origin,  we  believe, 
about  1842-3,  while  the  prophet  was  alive,  and  was  used  to 
designate  the  system  which  he  was  supposed  to  be  introducing 
into  the  Mormon  theology. 


LtiTS,    INDICTMENTS,    TltlALS.        297 

Jackson  himself  should  have  been  hung — in  either 
case  without  benefit  of  clergy.  His  expose  was  of 
much  the  same  character  as  that  of  General  Ben- 
nett ;  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  latter,  much  of 
his  statement  was  corroborated  by  circumstances, 
and  much  lacked  confirmation.  He  was  an  en- 
tire stranger  to  the  county  and  its  people ;  no 
one  knew  whence  he  came  or  what  became  of  him 
afterwards,  when  the  excitements  were  all  over. 
Hence,  it  is  just  to  say,  that  the  equivocal  position 
in  which  he  stood,  very  justly  tended  to  lessen  the 
confidence  of  the  public  in  his  statements,  and  his 
little  book  made  slight  impression.  The  Mormons 
charged  that  he  was  an  adventurer  of  the  woivt 
<?lass — himself  a  counterfeiter,  etc.,  and  that  he 
quarrelled  with  the  prophet  and  the  authorities 
because  he  was  detected  and  exposed. 

Among  the  other  many  charges  made  by  Jackson 
against  Smith,  was  one,  that  he  had  been  employed 
by  the  latter  to  go  to  Independence  and  assassinate 
Governor  Boggs  of  Missouri ;  that  he  was  furnished 
with  a  horse  and  travelling  outfit,  and  actually  set 
out  on  the  journey ;  but  after  being  absent  some 
time,  returned  with  some  plausible  excuse  for  his 
failure. 

Although  embraced  in  the  writs  issued  at  the 
instance  of  McConnell,  Jackson  was  not  indicted 
by  the  grand  jury,  and  no  further  effort  was  ever 


29S  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

made  to  arrest  him.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
William  and  Wilson  Law,  and  Dr.  Robert  D.  and 
Charles  A.  Foster. 

At  the  October  term,  1844,  of  the  Hancock  cir- 
cuit court,  Hon.  Jesse  B.  Thomas  presiding,  the 
grand  jury,  after  a  five  days'  session,  brought  into 
court  two  bills  of  indictment  against  nine  individ- 
uals, one  for  the  murder  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  the 
other  for  the  murder  of  Hyrum  Smith,  namely  : 
Levi  Williams,  Jacob  C.  Davis,  Mark  Aldrich, 
Thomas  C.  Sharp,  William  Yoras,  John  Wills, 

William  N.  Grover, Gallaher,  and Allen. 

Of  these,  Colonel  Williams  had  been  in  command 
of  the  Warsaw  regiment  that  had  been  disbanded 
on  the  prairie  ;  Captain  Aldrich  was  an  officer  of 
the  same ;  Davis  and  Grover  were  attorneys-at- 
law,  and  Sharp  was  also  an  attorney,  and  editor  of 
the  Warsaw  /Signal. 

Immediately  on  announcement  of  the  indict- 
ments, most  of  the  defendants  appeared  and  asked 
for  an  immediate  trial.  To  this  the  prosecu- 
tion objected,  on  the  ground  of  not  being  ready. 
The  witnesses  before  the  grand  jury  had  been 
allowed  to  go  home  without  being  recognized,  and 
would  have  to  be  re-subpoenaed.  It  was  finally 
agreed  that  the  causes  be  postponed  to  next  term, 
and  that  no  capias  should  issue  from  the  clerk  in 
the  interim,  if  the  defendants  would  pledge  tin  m- 


ARRESTS,   INDICTMENTS    TRIALS.        299 

selves  to  appear  at  the  time  agreed  on — a  compro- 
mise which  was  afterwards  violated  by  the  prosecu- 
tion. Subpoenas  were  asked  for  by  the  prosecution 
for  thirty  or  forty  witnesses — among  whom  were 
Governor  Ford,  Mrs.  Emma  Smith,  and  John  Ta}r- 
lor — yet  none  of  these  were  called,  or  appeared  on 
the  trial. 

The  trial  of  these  important  causes  occurred  on 
May  19,  1845,  Hon.  Richard  M.  Young,  judge. 
Josiah  Lamborn,  a  noted  prosecutor  of  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois,  was  retained  by  the  Governor  to 
assist  in  the  prosecution.  Hon.  William  A.  Rich- 
ardson of  Rushville,  Orville  H.  Browning,  Calvin 
A.  Warren,  Archibald  Williams,  of  Quincy,  and 
Onias  C.  Skinner  and  Thomas  Morrison,  Esquires, 
of  Hancock,  appeared  for  the  defendants.  A  mo- 
tion of  defendants  was  sustained  by  the  court,  to 
quash  the  array  of  jurors  selected  for  the  first  week, 
on  account  of  supposed  prejudice  of  the  County 
Commissioners  who  selected  them,  and  of  the 
Sheriff  and  his  deputies*  ;  also  another  motion  for 
the  appointment  of  two  elisors,  for  the  same  cause 
and  the  absence  of  the  Coroner  from  the  county. 
The  elisors  had  a  thankless  and  arduous  task  to 
perform.  Usually  it  is  not  hard  to  find  men  willing 
to  sit  on  juries ;  in  this  case  few  were  willing  to 

*  Andrew  H.  Perkins  and  George  Coulson,  Commissioners — 
both  Mormons — and  General  Minor  K.  Deming,  Sheriff— elected 
by  Mormon  votes. 


300  THE    PtiOPIIET    OF   PALMYRA. 

try  the  experiment  of  going  to  court  with  the  al- 
most certainty  of  being  rejected  by  one  or  the 
other  party ;  and  the  position  was  not  an  enviable 
one,  if  chosen.  Ninety-six  men  were  summoned 
and  brought  into  court  before  the  requisite  panel 
of  twelve  was  full.  The  trial  lasted  till  the  30th, 
when  the  jury  was  instructed  by  the  court ;  and  after 
a  deliberation  of  several  hours,  returned  a  verdict 
of  NOT  GUILTY. 

Various  instructions  to  the  jury — as  was  the  prac- 
tice in  those  days — had  been  asked  for  by  both 
parties.  The  following,  from  a  list  of  nine,  asked 
for  by  defendants'  counsel,  were  given,  and  prob- 
ably had  most  weight  in  producing  the  verdict  of 
acquittal : 

"  That,  when  the  evidence  is  circumstantial,  ad- 
mitting all  to  be  proven  which  the  evidence  tends 
to  prove,  if  then  the  jury  can  make  any  supposition 
consistent  with  the  facts,  by  which  the  murder 
might  have  been  committed, without  the  agency  of 
the  defendants,  it  will  be  their  duty  to  make  that 
supposition,  and  find  the  defendants  not  guilty. 

"  That,  in  making  up  their  verdict,  they  will 
exclude  from  their  consideration  all  that  was  testi- 
fied by  Daniels,  Brackenbury,  and  Miss  Graham 
(witnesses). 

"  That,  whenever  the  probability  is  of  a  definite 
and  limited  nature,  whether  in  the  proportion  of 
one  hundred  to  one,  or  of  one  thousand  to  one,  or 
any  ratio,  is  immaterial,  it  cannot  be  safely  made 
the  ground  of  conviction ;  for  to  act  upon  it  in  any 
case,  would  be  to  decide  that  for  the  sake  of  con- 


AT? RESTS,    INDICTMENTS,    TRIALS.        301 

victing  many  criminals  the  life  of  an  innocent  man 
might  be  sacrificed." — Starkie,  508. 

This  trial  was  for  the  murder  of  Joseph  Smith 
only.  The  same  defendants  were  required  to  enter 
into  recognizance  of  $5,000  each  (with  fourteen, 
sureties)  to  the  June  term.  At  said  term  the  de- 
fendants appeared,  the  case  was  called,  and  no 
prosecutors  answering,  it  was  dismissed  and  the 
defendants  discharged. 

It  has  been  the  custom  for  sensational  writers 
and  others  to  treat  this  trial  and  verdict  as  farcical 
and  an  outrage.  It  has  been  charged  that  the  jury, 
the  court,  and  the  people,  all  knew  that  the  defend- 
ants were  guilty.  If  all  knew  it,  it  ought  certainly 
and  might  have  been  proven.  All  knew  that  a 
double  murder  had  been  committed.  There  were 
some  facts  not  generally  taken  into  account  and 
not  considered  by  these  writers,  which  tend  to 
show  how  extremely  difficult  it  was  to  find  out  the 
guilty  ones.  The  Mormons  had  arrested  one  El- 
liott, the  two  Laws,  two  Fosters,  and  two  Higbees  at 
Kock  Island,  charged  with  the  offence ;  and  when 
the  grand  jury  was  in  session,  the  names  of  about 
sixty  persons  were  presented  to  them  for  indict- 
ment. One  of  these  sixty  has  since  informed  the 
writer  that  he  afterward  learned  how  he  had  nar- 
rowly escaped  indictment,  although  at  home  when 
the  crime  was  committed.  It  has  since  transpired 


S02  27LE?    PROPHET    OF   PALM  YEA. 

that  the  evidence  before  the  grand  jury  was  so  in- 
conclusive, that  they  voted  first  on  the  whole  sixty, 
and  failing  to  indict,  struck  off  ten  and  voted  again, 
and  so  on  to  the  last  nine,  when  the  indictment 
carried.  It  has  also  transpired  that  the  bills  were 
found  against  these  nine — some  as  principals  and 
some  as  accessories — almost  solely  on  the  testi- 
mony of  the  three  witnesses  whose  evidence  on 
the  trial  the  court  instructed  the  petit  jury  to  dis- 
regard.* It  has  further  been  said  in  disparage- 
ment of  the  jury,  that  ninety-six  men  had  to  be 
summoned  and  questioned  before  the  proper  num- 
ber for  a  jury  could  be  found  sufficiently  ignorant 
and  indifferent  to  'fill  the  place.  The  writer  knew, 
from  a  personal  acquaintance  with  at  least  six  of 
that  jury,  that,  instead  of  being  ignorant  and  indif- 
ferent, they  were  men  of  intelligence,  probity,  and 
wrorth. 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  excuse  mobbers  or  mur- 
derers. But  we  remember  that  there  is  a  vast  dif- 
ference between  knowing  that  a  murder  has  been 
committed,  and  knowing  by  whom  it  was  done. 

*  The  witnesses  Daniels  and  Brackenbnry  dealt  largely  in 
the  supernatural  in  their  testimony ;  -while  that  of  Miss  Gra- 
ham, though  well-meaning  and  honest,  was  contradictory. 


STRUGGLE  FOR    THE    SUCCESSION.       303 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

STRUGGLE    FOR    THE    SUCCESSION. 

SIDNEY  RIGDON — BRIGHAM  YOUNG,  PARLEY  P.  PRATT,  ORSON 
PRATT,  WILLIAM  SMITH,  ORSON  HYDE,  JAMES  J.  STRANG 
— AN  ECCLESIASTICAL  TRIAL — HYDE  ON  RIGDON. 

IF  anything  could  be  needed  to  condemn  Mor- 
monism,  and  convince  the  world  of  its  folly  and 
wickedness,  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  many  quarrels 
and  contentions  of  its  leading  men,  and  the  vituper- 
ation they  heap  upon  each  other  when  at  variance. 
During  the  prophet's  lifetime  he  was  almost  con- 
stantly in  a  quarrel  with  one  or  more  of  his  follow- 
ers and  former  trusted  associates,  denouncing  and 
excommunicating  them  by  turns,  month  after  month , 
and  then  retaking  them  back  to  his  embrace  and 
confidence.  Poor  Martin  Harris,  who  furnished  the 
means  to  bring  the  Book  of  Mormon  before  the 
world,  was  placed  under  the  malediction  of  the 
Lord  even  while  the  financial  question  was  pend- 
ing, and  once  or  twice  afterwards  devoted  to  Satan's 
buffetings.  Oliver  Cowdery  and  David  Whitmer, 
whilst  in  Missouri,  were  also  sent  on  the  same 
errand,  and  the  same  maledictions  sent  after  thorn. 
The  former  never  came  back  to  seek  reconciliation  ; 


304:  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYEA. 

the  latter,  while  he  cannot  forgive  the  blow,  yet 
licked  the  hand  that  smote  him.  So  Eigdon, 
Phelps,  Williams,  McLellin,  and  numbers  of  others, 
have  had  their  "  buffetings,"  then  "  repented,"  and 
returned  (most  of  them)  to  their  old  places,  or 
subordinate  ones,  in  the  camp. 

After  the  prophet's  death,  as  was  to  be  expected, 
a  great  struggle  began  for  the  possession  of  the 
mantle  that  had  fallen  from  his  shoulders.  The 
grief  at  his  death  was,  no  doubt,  genuine  on  the 
part  of  the  main  body  of  his  followers ;  but  on  the 
part  of  the  few,  was  very  much  assuaged  by  the 
hope  of  assuming  his  place  and  honors.  Rigdon,  who 
all  the  world  knows  had  the  best  right,  if  any  right 
existed  in  the  case,  was  soon  sent  back  to  Pittsburgh 
a  shorn  and  discomfited  man.  He  had  been  residing 
in  that  city — sent  away  from  Nauvoo  for  a  purpose 
— before  the  death  of  the  Smiths ;  but  after  that 
event,  had  returned,  hoping  to  secure  the  leader- 
ship. Though  in  times  past  he  and  Cowdery  had 
furnished  the  chief  brain  supply  in  fixing  up  the 
creed,  he  had  no  talent  for  organizing  and  com- 
manding. Brigham  Young,  who  had  also  been 
absent,  hastened  home,  and  by  his  superior  ability 
soon  had  the  rest  of  the  Twelve  under  his  control , 
and  working  in  his  interest.  Orson  Hyde  and  the 
two  Pratts  were  all  abler  men  than  he  on  the  plat- 
form, but  in  the  council  and  among  the  people  he 


STRUGGLE  FOR    THE   SUCCESSION.       305 

was  not  to  be  resisted.  He  was  first  elected  to  the 
position  of  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Legion,  the 
place  occupied  by  the  fallen  chief;  and  step  by  step 
afterwards  he  attained  the  first  position  in  the 
church. 

Rigdon  could  only  succeed  in  gathering  a  small 
knot  of  the  faithful  around  him,  and  their  scheme 
seems  to  have  been  to  locate  the  Zion  anew  some- 
where in  the  region  of  Pittsburgh.  This  was  one  of 
his  fatal  errors.  The  Mormon  star  had  ever  tended 
westward,  and  the  idea  of  turning  its  course  back 
toward  the  East  was  not  to  be  entertained.  So 
Rigdon  was  denounced  as  a  disturber  of  the  peace 
and  an  apostate,  and  a  conference  called  to  sit  in  in- 
quisition over  him.  The  charge  against  him  was — 
a  little  of  everything  bad  ;  but  the  offence  for  which 
he  was  tried  and  condemned,  though  not  just  so 
expressed,  was  that  he  wished  to  be  President  of 
the  church.  The  trial  is  reported  at  great  length 
in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  and  deserves  a  place  in 
the  history  of  ecclesiastical  tribunals.  The  vote  was 
finally  put  on  the  motion  offered  by  W.  "W.  Phelps  : 

"  That  Elder  Rigdon  be  cut  off  from  the  church, 
and  delivered  over  to  the  buffetings  of  Satan  until 
he  repents." 

The  vote,  says  the  report,  "  was  unanimous, 
excepting  about  ten."  A  motion  was  then  made  by 
some  sanguinary  member,  to  cut  off  the  ten  by  one 


306  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMY  KA. 

sweep  of  the  axe.  This  was  deemed  impolitic,  and 
the  motion  failed.  A  better  way  was  found  :  nine 
were  taken  separately  and  by  name,  and  on  separate 
charges,  and  thus  cut  off  by  unanimous  votes. 
Elder  Marks,  one  of  the  ten,  made  a  speech  in 
favor  of  Rigdon  ;  but  the  conference  had  hopes  of 
him  and  he  was  not  expelled.  The  conference 
closed  after  Elder  Young  had  delivered  Rigdon  over 
to  the  buffetings  of  Satan  "  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,"  "  and  all  the  people  said  Amen  !  " 

Mr.  Marks  showed  his  appreciation  of  the  leniency 
of  the  conference  toward  him,  by  publishing  in  the 
next  Times  and  Seasons  a  statement  that  after 
candid  consideration  he  had  become  convinced  that 
Sidney  Rigdon's  claims  to  the  Presidency  were  not 
founded  in  truth.  Rigdon  went  back  to  Pittsburgh 
a  poor  and  abused  man.  Aged  and  infirm,  de- 
prived of  his  rights  in  the  church  he  had  been  the 
chief  instrument  in  forming,  and  able  to  carry  but 
a  small  remnant  of  the  people  with  him,  he  still 
adhered  to  the  faith,  and  made  feeble  efforts  to 
effect  a  reorganization.  Since  his  death,  which 
occurred  some  years  since,  it  is  believed  his  adher- 
ents have  principally  joined  the  reorganized  branch 
under  Joseph  Smith,  the  younger. 

It  is  remarkable  to  observe  with  what  violence 
this  aged  counsellor  was  pursued  by  the  Twelve, 
and  the  perhaps  equal  acrimony  with  which  he  re- 


STRUGGLE  FOR  THE  SUCCESSION.       307 

turned  their  assaults.  In  an  issue  of  the  Neighbor 
of  December  18,  1844,  is  to  be  found  an  article 
under  the  signature  of  Orson  Hyde,  in  which  the 
following  language  occurs  : 

"  Mr.  Rigdon,  do  you  not  remember  how  you 
came  into  a  certain  council  about  the  first  of  April 
or  latter  part  of  March  last,  that  had  been  organ- 
ized by  Joseph  Smith ;  and  also  how  you  danced 
and  shouted,  and  threw  your  feet  so  high  that  you 
came  well  nigh  falling  backwards  upon  the  stove? 
Certainly  you  must  remember  this  ;  for  you  frothed 
at  the  mouth  like  a  madman,  and  gave  glory  to  God 
so  long  and  loud  that  you  became  entirely  hoarse 
and  exhausted.  Your  song  was,  '  Glory  to  God 
and  the  Lamb,  that  I  have  lived  in  this  time ;  Hal- 
lelujah to  Jesus,  that  mine  eyes  have  seen  this  day  ; 
and  thanks  to  my  brethren  that  I  have  been  per- 
mitted to  enter  here,  for  of  a  surety  God  is  with 
you  in  power  and  glory.'  .  .  .  Now  you  say 
that  Joseph  was  a  bad  man,  and  has  been  for  a  long 
time.  You  say  that  all  the  authorities  here  are  base 
and  wicked.  .  .  .  And  why  are  you  now 
prating  against  him  and  the  church,  giving  yourself 
the  lie  and  rendering  yourself  a  burlesque  upon  all 
honesty,  integrity,  consistency,  and  uprightness  ? 
.  Your  race,  sir,  is  about  run ;  and  unless 
you  speedily  repent  the  hand  of  God  will  soon  be 
heavily  upon  you.  .  .  .  But  if  you  do  repent, 
you  are  only  damned  for  this  world  in  the  eyes  of 
men,  and  may  get  salvation  at  last.  .  .  .  When 
thy  memory  only  lives  to  be  a  stink  in  thy  nostrils, 
and  also  in  the  nostrils  of  God  and  his  people ; 
when  thou  art  as  powerless  as  John  C.  Bennett,  or 
Judas  Iscariot,  then  knqjv  that  you  have  fought 
against  Jehovah  and  lied  in  his  holy  name." 

In  the  Neighbor  of  December  4,  1844,  we  find 


308  THE  PEOPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 

unother  letter  addressed  by  Hyde  to  Rigdon  from 
Cincinnati,  through  the  medium  of  the  New  York 
Prophet.  In  this  letter,  the  charge  is  made  by 
innuendo  that  Rigdon  was  a  murderer  while  in 
Missouri,  and  that  he  counselled  murder  for  dis- 
obedience to  the  leaders.  Hyde  used  this  lan- 
guage : 

"  Elder  Rigdon  has  been  associated  with  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  Smith  as  a  councillor  to  the  church,  and 
he  told  me  in  Far  West  that  it  was  the  imperative 
duty  of  the  church  to  obey  the  word  of  Joseph 
Smith,  or  the  Presidency,  without  questioning  or 
inquiry  ;  and  that  if  there  were  any  that  would  not, 
they  should  have  their  throats  cut  from  ear  to  ear. 
.  .  .  Such  kind  of  language  I  never  heard  from 
Joseph  or  Hyrum  Smith ;  [  ?]  neither  did  they 
preach  a  '  Salt  Sermon,'  nor  tell  a  '  Granny  Par- 
rish  story,'  nor  boast  of  throwing  any  one  aside 
into  the  hazel  bush."  (  !) 

And  he  adds : 

"  You  have  evidence  that  ever  since  then  I  have 
looked  upon  you  as  a  base  and  wicked  tyrant.  And 
in  that  character  do  I  now  regard  you." 

And  yet  Orson  Hyde  was  a  co-worker  with  Rig- 
don for  three  years  at  Nauvoo,  knowing,  as  he  says, 
that  he  was  a  murderer,  and  an  adviser  and  abettor 
of  murder.  And  he  is  still  to  this  day,  in  Utah, 
upholding  and  vindicating  a  Presidency  whose  first 
claim  is  the  unquestioned  obedience  of  its  followers. 

William  Smith,  whom  everybody  called  "  Patri- 


STRUGGLE  FOE  THE  SUCCESSION.       309 

arch  Bill"  (all  the  Smiths,  including  the  father  of 
the  family,  we  believe,  have  enjoyed  the  partri- 
archal  perquisites  at  one  time  or  another) ,  the  only 
male  member  left  of  the  family,  also  believed  that 
he  had  rights  to  be  the  successor  by  virtue  of  his 
kinship,  which  should  be  respected,  and  he  also  hur- 
ried to  Nauvoo  to  advance  his  claims.  But  he  was 
vacillating  and  weak,  and  sadly  lacking  in  the 
mental  traits  necessary  for  a  leader.  So  he  fell 
into  the  meshes  of  the  Twelve  and  Brigham  Young, 
and  quietly  settled  down  into  the  business  of  dis- 
pensing "  Patriarchal  Blessings  "  for  pay,  and  the 
church  organ  advised  the  brethren  and  sisters  to 
patronize  him.  But  the  blessings  being  of  poor 
value,  or  for  some  other  cause,  the  pay  became 
unsatisfactory,  and  he  again  became  troublesome — 
quarrelled  with  and  denounced  the  Twelve — and  at 
length  went  and  joined  the  new  prophet,  Strang, 
in  Wisconsin.  After  the  leaders  had  left  for  the 
West,  he  came  back  to  Nauvoo,  thinking  there 
might  be  a  chance  again,  and  tried  to  prevent  the 
remnant  from  following  Brigham  Young  into  the 
wilderness.  But  failing  in  this,  he,  Rigdon,  and 
Strang  organized  a  trinity  which  succeeded  in 
drawing  together  some  of  the  scattered  faithful  ones. 
William  is  now,  we  believe,  in  his  old  age,  an  elder 
in  the  branch  headed  by  his  nephew. 


310  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

About  this  time,  Mr.  Saulsbury  also,  a  brother- 
in-law  to  the  prophet,  though  never  a  prominent 
leader,  came  out  against  Young  and  the  Twelve  in 
a  letter  to  the  Warsaw  Signal,  denouncing  and 
making  charges  against  them,  of  much  the  same  char- 
acter as  Rigdon  and  Law  and  Bennett  had  done. 

But,  through  it  all,  Brigham  Young  maintained 
his  supremacy  over  the  Twelve  and  the  people ;  a 
supremacy  which  he  held  as  long  as  they  remained  in 
Illinois,  all  through  their  long  and  perilous  journey 
in  the  wilderness,  and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  afterwards  in  their  sequestered  mountain 
home.  Joseph  Smith,  in  the  fourteen  years  that 
he  had  lived  as  a  prophet,  with  the  aid  of  Harris, 
Cowdery,  Rigdon,  Pratt,  and  others,  had  succeeded 
in  building  up  a  crude  system  and  bringing  together 
a  few  thousands  of  discontented  and  marvel-seek- 
ing spirits.  It  was  Young  who,  through  the  ordeal 
of  suffering  and  sorrow  and  death — an  ordeal 
which  fed  the  coyotes  of  the  plains  and  wilderness 
with  human  flesh,  and  whitened  a  long  trail  with 
human  bones — established  a  power  in  the  heart 
of  the  continent,  strong  enough  to  defy  the  gov- 
ernment and  laugh  at  all  efforts  to  control  it. 
Since  his  death,  it  has  fallen  under  the  guidance 
of  far  weaker  hands.  Had  it  not  been  for  his 
influence  at  the  death  of  the  prophet,  there  is  rea- 


STRUGGLE  FOR    THE   SUCCESSION.       311 

son  to  believe  that  Mormonism,  instead  of  being 
now  a  monster  in  Utah,  would  be  divided  into 
as  many  isms  in  the  States  as  there  were  ambi- 
tious leaders  to  fulminate  a  prophecy  or  originate 
a  creed. 


312          THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 


CHAPTEE    XXXH. 

A   NEW  PROPHET — JAMES   J.    STRANG. 

STRANG'S  CLAIM  TO  THE  SUCCESSION — His  REVELATION — SETS 
UP  AT  VOKEE — HE,  TOO,  FlNDS  PLATES — HlS  ARROGANCE 
AND  PRETENSIONS — ARRESTED  FOR  TREASON — TRIED  AND 
ACQUITTED — A  POLYGAMIST — His  VIOLENT  DEATH — FATE 
OF  MORMON  PROPHETS. 

MR.  STRANG  was  also  a  New  Yorker,  the  son  of 
a  farmer,  but  had  taught  school,  lectured,  and  stud- 
ied law.  He  drifted  to  the  West,  and  was  engaged 
in  practice  in  Burlington,  Wisconsin.  Smith's  seem- 
ing success  at  Nauvoo  attracted  his  attention,  and 
he  came  to  that  city  early  in  1844,  joined  the  church 
and  was  baptized,  and  was  at  once  ordained  an 
elder.  He  chose  Wisconsin  for  his  field  of  opera- 
tions. Although  he  had  been  a  convert  but  a  few 
months,  he  was  at  the  prophet's  death  ambitious 
of  prophetic  honors  and  emoluments,  and  claimed 
the  right  of  succession  on  ground  different  from 
that  of  any  of  the  other  aspirants — that  of  appoint- 
ment from  the  Lord,  through  Smith  himself,  com- 
municated to  him  by  letter  from  Nauvoo  only  a  few 


A    NEW    PROPHET.  313 

days  before  Smith  was  killed.    That  revelation  read 
in  part  as  follows  : 

"And  now,  behold,  my  servant  James  J.  Strang 
hath  come  to  thee  from  far,  for  truth,  when  he  knew 
it  not,  and  hath  not  rejected  it,  but  had  faith  in 
thee,  the  Shepherd  and  Stone  of  Israel,  and  to  him 
shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be ;  for  he  shall 
plant  a  stake  of  Zion  in  Wisconsin,  and  I  will  es- 
tablish it,  and  there  shall  my  people  have  peace  and 
rest,  and  shall  not  be  moved,  for  it  shall  be  estab- 
lished on  White  River,  in  the  lands  of  Racine  and 
Wai  worth.  .  .  .  And  I  will  have  a  house  built 
unto  me  of  stone,  and  there  will  I  show  myself  to 
my  people  by  many  mighty  works ;  and  the  name 
of  the  city  shall  be  called  VOREE,  which  is,  being 
interpreted,  Garden  of  Peace — for  there  shall  my 
people  have  peace  and  rest,  and  wax  fat  and  pleas- 
ant in  presence  of  their  enemies." 

Strang  was  able  to  exhibit  a  letter  envelope  with 
the  proper  Nauvoo  post-mark  and  date,  in  proof  of 
his  claim ;  yet  the  time,  the  occasion,  the  circum- 
stance, and  even  the  style,  strongly  tend  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  was  all  a  forgery,  and  never 
emanated  from  Smith  at  all.  Whether  a  forgery 
or  not,  he  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  purpose 
therein  foreshadowed.  Through  his  whole  after 
career  he  servilely  followed  in  Smith's  footsteps, 
imitated  his  methods,  and  ended  his  inglorious 
career  in  much  the  same  manner.  At  Voree  he 
planted  the  "  Stake  of  Zion,"  began  prophesying, 
obtaining  revelations,  and  secured  a  band  of  fol- 
lowers. He  also  issued  a  small  monthly  organ, 


314  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

called  the  Voree  Herald.  Not  to  be  outdone  by 
his  predecessor,  he  had  some  plates  revealed  to 
him — the  proof  of  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  fol- 


lowing : 


TESTIMONY   OF    FOUR   WITNESSES. 


"  On  the  13th  day  of  September,  1845,  we,  Aaron 
Smith,  Jirah  B.  Wheelan,  James  M.  Van  Nostrand, 
and  Edward  Whitcomb, — assembled  at  the  call  of 
James  J.  Strang,  who  is  by  us  and  many  others 
approved  as  a  prophet  and  seer  of  God.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  inform  us  that  it  had  been  revealed  to 
him  in  a  vision  that  an  account  of  an  ancient  people 
was  buried  in  a  hill  south  of  White  River  bridge, 
near  the  east  line  of  Walworth  County  ;  and  leading 
us  to  an  oak  tree  about  one  foot  in  diameter,  told 
us  that  we  could  find  it  enclosed  in  a  case  of  rude 
earthenware  under  that  tree,  at  a  depth  of  about 
three  feet ;  requested  us  to  dig  it  up,  and  charged 
us  to  examine  the  ground,  that  we  should  know  we 
were  not  imposed  upon,  and  that  it  bad  not  been 
buried  since  the  tree  grew.  The  tree  wras  sur- 
rounded by  a  sward  of  deeply-rooted  grass,  such  as 
is  usually  found  in  the  openings,  and  upon  the  most 
critical  examination  we  could  not  discover  any  indi- 
cation that  it  had  ever  been  cut  through  or  dis- 
turbed. 

"  We  then  dug  up  the  tree,  and  continued  to  dig 
to  the  depth  of  about  three  feet,  where  we  found 
a  case  of  slightly  baked  clay  containing  three  plates 
of  brass.  On  one  side  of  one  is  a  landscape  view 
of  the  south  end  of  Gardner's  prairie,  and  the  range 
of  hills  where  they  were  dug.  On  another  is  a  iiuin 
with  a  crown  on  his  head,  and  a  sceptre  in  his  hand  ; 
above,  is  an  eye  before  an  upright  line ;  below,  the 
sun  and  moon  surrounded  by  twelve  stars ;  at  the 


A    NEW   PROPin-T.  315 

bottom  are  twelve  large  stars,  from  three  of  which 
pillars  arise,  and  closely  interspersed  with  them  are 
seven  very  small  stars.  The  other  four  sides  are 
very  closely  covered  with  what  appear  to  be  alpha- 
betic- characters,  but  in  a  language  of  which  we 
have  no  knowledge. 

' '  The  case  was  found  imbedded  in  indurated 
clay  so  closely  fitting  that  it  broke  in  taking  out, 
and  the  earth  below  the  soil  was  so  hard  as  to  be 
dug  with  difficulty,  even  with  a  pick-axe.  Over 
the  case  was  found  a  flat  stone  about  one  foot  wide 
each  way  and  three  inches  thick,  which  appeared  to 
have  undergone  the  action  of  fire,  and  fell  to  pieces 
after  a  few  minutes'  exposure  to  the  air.  The  dig- 
ging extended  in  the  clay  about  eighteen  inches, 
there  being  two  kinds  of  earth  of  different  color  and 
appearance  above  it. 

"  We  examined  as  we  dug,  all  the  way  with  the 
utmost  care,  and  we  say,  with  utmost  confidence, 
that  no  part  of  the  earth  through  which  we  dug 
exhibited  any  sign  or  indication  that  it  had  been 
moved  or  disturbed  at  any  previous  time.  The 
roots  of  the  tree  struck  down  very  closely  on  every 
side,  extending  below  the  case,  and  closely  inter- 
woven with  roots  from  other  trees.  None  of 
them  had  been  broken  or  cut  away.  No  clay  is 
found  in  the  country  like  that  of  which  this  case  is 
made. 

"In  fine,  we  found  an  alphabetic  and  pictorial 
record,  carefully  cased  up,  buried  deep  in  the 
.earth,  covered  with  a  flat  stone,  with  an  oak  tree 
one  foot  in  diameter  growing  over  it,  with  every 
evidence  that  the  sense  can  give  that  it  has  lain  as 
long  as  that  tree  has  been  growing.  Strang  took 
no  part  in  the  digging,  but  kept  entirely  away  from 
before  the  first  blow  was  struck  till  after  the  plates 
were  taken  out  of  the  case  ;  and  the  sole  inducement 
to  our  digging  was  our  faith  in  his  statement  as  a 


516  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

prophet  of  the  Lord,  that  a  record  would  thus  and 
there  be  found. 

AARON  SMITH,  J.  M.  VAN  NOSTRAND, 

JIRAH  B.  WHEEL  AN,        EDWARD  WHITCOMB." 

These  three  plates  our  Wisconsin  prophet  did  not 
at  once  proceed  to  translate,  as  the  box  contained 
no  "  Urim  and  Thummim  "  to  aid  him — a  negli- 
gence on  the  part  of  the  later  Nephi  or  Moroni,  for 
which  it  is  hard  to  account.  At  a  subsequent  day, 
however,  eighteen  more  plates  were  vouchsafed 
him,  which  he  called  the  plates  of  Laban — strangely 
forgetful  of  the  fact,  that  the  plates  of  Laban,  stolen 
and  carried  off  by  the  sons  of  Lehi,  had  been  de- 
posited, together  with  his  sword,  in  Cumorah  Hill 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  An  angel  brought  him 
a  "Urim  and  Thummim"  at  length,  and  in  due 
course  of  time  all  were  translated,  from  what  lan- 
guage we'  do  not  learn.  The  three  are  thus  ren- 
dered : 

"  My  people  are  no  more.  The  mighty  are 
fallen,  and  the  young  men  are  slain  in  battle. 
Their  bones  are  bleached  on  the  plains,  by  the  noon- 
day shadow.  The  houses  are  level  with  the  dust, 
and  in  the  moat  are  the  walls  :  They  shall  be  inhab- 
ited. I  have  in  the  burial  served  them ;  and  their 
bones  in  the  death-shade  toward  the  sun's  rising 
are  covered.  They  sleep  with  the  mighty  dead, 
and  they  rest  with  their  fathers.  They  have  fallen 
in  transgression,  and  are  not ;  but  the  elect  and 
faithful  there  shall  dwell. 

« '  The  Word  hath  revealed  it.     God  hath  sworn 


A    NEW   PROPHET.  317 

to  give  an  inheritance  to  his  people  where  trans- 
gressors perished.  The  "Word  of  God  came  to  me 
while  I  mourned  in  the  death-shade,  saying  I  will 
avenge  me  on  the  destroyed.  They  shall  be  driven 
out.  Other  strangers  shall  inhabit  thy  land.  I  an 
ensign  will  then  set  up.  The  escaped  of  my  peo- 
ple there  shall  dwell,  when  the  flpck  disowns  the 
Shepherd  and  build  not  on  the  rock. 

"  The  forerunner  men  shall  kill,  but  a  mighty 
prophet  there  shall  dwell.  I  will  be  his  strength, 
and  he  shall  bring  forth  the  record.  Record  my 
Word,  and  bury  it  in  the  Hill  of  Promise. 

"(Signed), 

"  RAJAH  MANCHORE." 

The  remaining  plates  were  translated  from  time 
to  time,  and  published  under  the 'title  of: 

"  THE  BOOK  or  THE  LAW  OF  THE  LOKD, 

"  Consisting  of  an  Inspired  Translation  of  Some 
of  the  Most  Important  Parts  of  the  Law  given 
to  Moses,  and  a  Very  Few  Additional  Com- 
mandments, with  Brief  Notes  and  References." 

All  this,  it  will  be  seen,  was  a  feeble  imitation  of 
Smith's  methods,  which  had  been  so  successful 
fifteen  years  before ;  the  testimony,  however,  to 
the  discovery  of  the  plates  lacked  the  angelic  and 
the  impossible  element,  and  hence  was  less  success- 
ful. But  it  was  not  without  its  results.  Quite  a 
colony  of  believers  was  formed  at  Yoree,  and  after 
a  time  transferred  to  Beaver  Island  in  Lake  Mich- 
igan. Here  it  greatly  increased  in  numbers ;  and 
assuming  the  same  arrogant  pretensions  adopted 


318  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

by  the  older  prophet,  Strung  also  became  inimic: 
to  his  neighbors  and  to  the  government.  Strifes 
and  discord  ensued ;  he  was  arrested  for  treason 
by  order  of  the  United  States  authorities,  taken 
to  Detroit,  tried,  and  acquitted.  Returning  to 
Beaver  Island,  his  aggressive  career  was  re- 
sumed. He  was  finally  murdered  by  some  of  his 
apostate  followers  in  185G — after  which  the  col- 
ony dispersed ;  and  at  this  day  little  is  heard 
of  the  Prophet  Strang,  his  plates,  his  translations, 
his  prophecies,  his  dishonored  life,  or  tragical 
death. 

Following  openly  the  example  set  him  clandes- 
tinely at  Nauvoo,  he,  too,  was  a  polygamist, 
and  is  said  to  have  had  five  or  six  wives  at  his 
death.  As  in  the  case  of  his  more  successful  pro- 
totype, the  assumption  of  infallible  kingly  and 
priestly  power,  the  gathering  to  one  holy  Zion,  and 
the  disobedience  to  law,  were  the  rocks  on  which 
he  was  wrecked. 

The  office  of  "  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Eevelator," 
in  the  Mormon  system,  has  been  a  dangerous  one. 
All  but  one  who  have  occupied  it  have  met  tragical 
fates.  First,  Joseph  Smith,  its  inventor — mur- 
dered by  a  mob  in  an  Illinois  jail  in  1844 ;  second, 
Strang — shot  on  an  island  in  Lake  Michigan  ;  and , 
third,  Morris — butchered  as  an  apostate  among 


A    NEW   PROPHET.  319 

the  mountain  fastnesses  of  Utah  in  1862: — terri- 
ble, but  not  unnatural,  results  from  lives  of  wicked- 
ness and  blasphemy.  Who  would  be  a  Mormon 
Prophet ! 


320  TILE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA.. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

MORE    VIOLENCE    AND    BLOODSHED. 

THREE  OBNOXIOUS  OFFICIALS — ARREST  OF  SENATOR  DAVIS— 
NAUVOO  CHARTER  REPEALED  —  INCREASE  OF  THEFT- 
MURDER  OF  MILLER  AND  LEIZA — OF  IRVINE  HODGE— OB 
COL.  DAVENPORT — OF  DR.  MARSHALL — DEATH  OF  SHERIFF 
DEMING — BURNING  OF  MORLEY-TOWN— KILLING  OF  LIEUT. 
WORRELL — OF  MCBRATNEY — INCIDENT  OF  THE  BURNING 
— KILLING  OF  WILCOX  AND  DAUBENHEYER — ARRIVAL  OF 
COL.  HARDIN  WITH  STATE  TROOPS. 

THE  year  1844  was  one  of  disorder  and  blood 
in  Hancock  County  :  but  that  of  1845  was  more 
bloody  still.  At  the  August  election  of  1844, 
three  very  obnoxious  men  had  been  elected  to 
office :  Almon  W.  Babbitt,  a  Mormon  attorney, 
and  Jacob  B.  Backenstos,  one  of  those  much-hated 
men  known  as  Jack-Mormons,  to  the  Legisla- 
ture ;  and  General  Minor  R.  Deming  to  the  office 
of  Sheriff. 

As  before  stated,  the  agreement  entered  into  that 
no  arrests  should  be  made  of  the  parties  under  in- 
dictment for  the  murder  of  the  Smiths,  was  violated 
by  the  prosecution,  and  frequent  attempts  were 
made  to  arrest  some  of  them  during  the  winter  by 
the  Sheriff  and  his  deputies.  Jacob  C.  Davis, 


MORE  VIOLENCE  AND  BLOODSHED.       321 

one  of  them,  was  a  Senator  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature, and  at  the  opening  of  the  session  he 
took  his  seat  in  that  body.  During  the  winter  he 
was  arrested  at  the  Capital  by  an  officer  from  Han- 
cock County  ;  but  was  ordered  released  by  a  reso- 
lution of  the  Senate. 

During  the  session  a  move  was  made  to  repeal 
the  charter  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  and  on  January 
21,  1845,  the  measure  passed  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives by  a  vote  of  76  yeas  to  36  nays.  It 
subsequently  passed  the  Senate  by  a  large  majority. 
The  repeal  was  strenuously  opposed  by  both  Bab- 
bitt and  Backenstos — by  the  latter  in  a  violent 
speech,  which  greatly  incensed  the  Anti-Mormon 
community  against  him. 

During  the  winter  and  spring — as  a  result  of  the 
unsettled  condition  of  affairs  at  Nauvoo,  and  the  con- 
sequent hard  times — there  was  an  unusual  amount 
of  stealing  done,  not  only  in  the  city  but  in  other 
parts  of  the  county.  It  extended  also  to  Adams, 
Henderson,  and  other  adjoining  counties.  In 
Adams,  where  arrests  could  be  made,  there  were  as 
many  as  eight  Mormons  in  jail  at  one  time  for 
these  petty  offences.  In  the  city  the  two  parties, 
"  Twelveites  "  and  "  Rigdonites,"  charged  the  of- 
fences to  each  other.  The  nuisance  became  so  in- 
supportable, that  public  meetings  were  held  at  va- 
rious points  to  devise  means  of  protection  and  re- 


322  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

dress.  Township  committees  were  appointed  to 
collect  statistics  of  these  thefts  for  publication, 
which  was  done,  footing  up  hundreds  of  dollars  in 
some  townships.  Some  of  these  reports,  there  is 
reason  to  believe,  were  exaggerated ;  but  as  many 
must  have  been  omitted,  it  is  safe  to  say  the  totals 
did  not  exceed  the  truth.  Of  course,  it  was  not 
proven,  or  even  known,  that  these  depredations 
were  all  committed  by  Mormons,  and  they  probably 
wrere  not.  The  suggestion  has  been  often  made 
that  much  of  this  thieving  may  have  been  done  on 
Mormon  credit ;  which,  in  itself,  is  an  admission 
against  them ;  but  that  a  large  per  cent,  of  it  was 
perpetrated  by  members  of  that  fraternity,  all  cir- 
cumstances go  to  show.  And  events  that  trans- 
pired this  year,  show  that  they  harbored  among 
them  men  who  did  not  hesitate  at  robbery  and 
assassination. 

On  Saturday  night,  May  10,  1845,  a  horrible 
robbery  and  murder  was  committed  near  the  town 
of  Franklin,  Lee  County,  Iowa,  on  the  persons  of 
John  Miller,  a  Mennonite  German  minister  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  Mr.  Leiza,  his  son-in-law.  The 
latter  was  not  killed,  but  died  of  his  wounds  soon 
afterwards.  The  locality  is  about  ten  or  twelve 
miles  from  Nauvoo,  across  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
murderers,  three  in  number,  were  traced  to  that 
city.  Their  names  were  William  Hodge,  Stephen 


M011E  VIOLENCE  AND  BLOODSHED.       323 

Hodge  (brothers) ,  and  Thomas  Brown.  The  Hodges 
were  arrested  on  the  13th,  and  conveyed  to  the 
Iowa  penitentiary  at  Fort  Madison  for  safe-keeping. 
On  the  15th,  they  were  indicted  by  the  grand  jury 
in  the  Lee  district  court,  then  in  session  at  TTest 
Point,  and  on  the  21st  were  arraigned  for  trial. 
They  asked  for  a  change  of  venue,  and  the  cause 
was  certified  to  Des  Moines  County.  On  the  21st 
of  June  they  were  put  upon  their  trial  at  Bur- 
lington. They  were  defended  by  J.  C.  Hall  and 
F.  D.  Mills,  two  eminent  attorneys  of  the  Bur- 
lington bar,  and  by  Geo.  Edmunds,  Esq. ,  of  Nauvoo. 
The  trial  lasted  about  a  week  and  ended  in  a  ver- 
dict of  Guilty.  Judge  Mason  sentenced  them  to 
the  gallows,  and  on  the  15th  of  July  they  were  duly 
executed. 

On  the  night  of  the  23d  of  June,  Irvine  Hodge, 
brother  to  the  accused,  was  assassinated  in  Nauvoo, 
while  on  his  way  home  from  a  visit  to  his  doomed 
brothers  in  the  Burlington  jail.  He  had,  it  was 
said,  endeavored  to  induce  Brigham  Young  to  send 
and  have  his  brothers  rescued  from  jail ;  and  failing, 
had  been  free  in  denouncing  his  chief  for  refusing 
to  authorize  the  raid.  But  little  notice  was  taken 
in  Nauvoo  of  this  murder;  no  arrests  were  made, 
and  no  one  was  ever  brought  to  trial  for  the  crime. 
The  perpetrator  or  the  purpose  of  this  murder 
may  never  be  kirown.  The  "Patriarch"  William 


324  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMY  If  A. 

Smith's  letter  to  the  Sangamo  Journal,  dated  Sep- 
tember 24,  1846,  may  throw  some  light  on  the 
subject : 

"  Irvine  Hodge  was  murdered  within  twelve  feet 
of  Brigham  Young's  door.  Amos  Hodge,  it  is  said, 
was  murdered  between  Montrose  and  Nashville, 
Iowa  [two  towns  across  the  river  from  Nauvoo] , 
by  Brigham  Young's  guard,  who  pretended  to  escort 
him  out  of  Nauvoo  for  his  safety,  under  cover 
of  women's  clothes  —  who  then  pretended  that  he 
had  run  away.  ...  If  Mr.  Amos  Hodge,  the 
father  of  these  young  Hodges,  will  call  and  see 
me,  I  can  tell  him  the  names  of  persons  that  ivill 
put  him  on  the  track  of  the  men  who  murdered  his 
sons." 

But  why  did  not  Mr.  Smith  communicate  those 
names  to  the  grand  jury,  in  order  that  the  perpe- 
trators of  those  secret  crimes  might  be  brought  to 
justice?  And  why  has  he  these  long  years  since 
withheld  from  the  public  and  the  authorities  his 
knowledge  of  the  matter  ?  Whatever  he  may  have 
been  then,  he  claims  to  be  now  a  law-abiding  man 
and  good  .citizen,  yet  we  never  heard  that  he  has 
ever  given  any  other  information  concerning  it,  than 
is  contained  by  innuendo  in  that  letter.* 

On  the  trial  of  the  Hodge  brothers  at  Burlington, 
the  accused  made  an  affidavit  for  witnesses  to  prove 
an  alibi,  claiming  to  rely  upon  the  testimony  of  five 

*  At  the  present  writing,  we  believe  Mr.  Smith  is  still  living, 
and  occupying  a  position  of  distinction  in  the  Reorganized 
Church. 


MORE  VIOLENCE  AND  BLOODSHED.        325 

or  six  named  residents  of  Nauvoo,  and  upon  that  of 
John  Long,  Aaron  Long,  and  Judge  Fox,  who, 
they  said,  resided  in  St.  Louis.  These  names  will 
be  remembered  in  the  annals  of  Mormon  crime  as 
the  parties  who,  a  few  days  later,  perpetrated  the 
murder  of  Colonel  Davenport  at  Rock  Island. 

Colonel  Davenport  had  many  years  before  been 
connected  with  the  United  States  army,  and  on 
leaving  the  service,  had  acquired  and  made  a  home 
contiguous  to  Fort  Armstrong,  on  that  beauti- 
ful island  in  the  Mississippi.  The  murder  was  com- 
mitted on  the  4th  of  July,  1845,  whilst  all  the  family 
except  himself  were  attending  a  celebration  on  the 
mainland  in  Illinois.  He  was  an  aged  and  quite 
infirm  man,  and  was  quietly  sitting  in  his  house 
reading,  when  he  was  attacked  by  the  robbers. 
Rising  to  approach  the  door,  at  which  he  heard  a 
noise,  it  was  pushed  open,  and  three  men  entered, 
one  of  whom  discharged  a  pistol  at  him,  the  ball 
centering  his  thigh.  He  was  then  dragged  through 
the  hall  and  up-stairs  to  a  closet  containing  his  safe, 
which  they  compelled  him  to  open.  After  obtain- 
ing its  contents  and  money  from  his  bureau  draw- 
ers, they  left  him,  still  tied  upon  his  bed,  and 
bleeding  from  his  wounded  thigh  and  beatings  he 
had  received.  In  this  condition  he  was  some  time 
afterwards  found.  Surgical  aid  was  procured  as 
soon  as  possible  from  the  town  of  Rock  Island,  and 


326  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

he  was  revived  sufficiently  to  describe  the  assassins 
and  the  circumstances  ;  but  he  died  about  ten  o'clock 
the  same  evening. 

A  reward  of  $1,500  was  offered  for  the  arrest  and 
conviction  of  the  murderers  by  his  son,  George  L. 
Davenport ;  and  John  Long,  Aaron  Long,  and 
Granville  Young,  were  finally  arrested,  tried,  and 
hung  for  the  offence.  Judge  Fox  was  also  arrested, 
but  made  his  escape  ;  while  a  fifth  one,  named  Birch, 
— a  daring  desperado,  said  to  have  been  connected 
with  the  Danite  Band,  and  probably  the  worst  of 
the  five — escaped  punishment  by  turning  State's 
evidence. 

During  this  year,  also,  numerous  minor  acts  of 
robbery  and  theft  were  committed  in  Lee  County, 
Iowa,  and  along  the  river,  traceable  in  almost  all 
cases  to  a  gang  of  desperadoes  having  their  head- 
quarters in  Nauvoo. 

While  these  acts  of  violence  were  being  perpe- 
trated out  of  the  county,  a  most  lamentable  tragedy 
was  enacted  at  home.  On  June  24th,  an  alterca- 
tion occurred  in  the  court-house  in  Carthage,  be- 
tween Dr.  Samuel  Marshall,  the  County  Clerk,  and 
the  Sheriff  of  the  county,  General  Minor  R.  Deming, 
which  resulted  in  the  death  of  the  former  at  the 
hand  of  the  latter.  The  difficulty  arose  about  some 
trivial  official  business.  Dr.  Marshall  was  a  man 
of  very  exact  and  punctual  habits  in  all  his  affairs, 


MORE  VIOLENCE  AND  BLOODSHED.       327 

and  he  desired  others  to  be  equally  so  ;  and  the  Sher- 
iff's seeming  neglect  of  certain  duties  irritated  him. 
A  scuffle  ensued,  in  which  the  General  drew  a  pistol 
and  shot  his  antagonist.  The  affair  was  an  unfor- 
tunate one,  as  it  caused  the  deaths  of  two  reputable 
men  and  good  officers,  who,  in  ordinary  times, 
might  have  been  friends,  and  added  greatly  to  the 
excitement  already  existing.  Dr.  Marshall  was  a 
strong  Anti-Mormon  in  his  feelings  and  principles, 
and  had  the  full  confidence  of  the  party ;  yet  Jie 
resolutely  refused  to  sanction  any  of  their  unlawful 
proceedings.  He  was  one  of  a  number  in  the 
county — far  too  few — who  believed  it  better  to 
suffer  all  the  ills  resulting  from  Mormonism,  rather 
than  resort  to  illegal  and  violent  measures  for  re- 
dress. 

General  Deming  was  taken  into  custody,  and  the 
circuit  court  being  in  session,  was  indicted  for 
manslaughter  by  the  grand  jury.  A  continuance 
was  had  and  he  was  released  on  bail.  But  he  was 
never  brought  to  trial.  He  retired  to  his  home  in 
the  country,  where  he  was  soon  afterwards  stricken 
with  a  congestive  fever,  no  doubt  brought  on  or 
aggravated  by  excitement,  and  he  died  September 
10, 1845.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  office  of  Sheriff 
by  the  aforesaid  J.  B.  Backenstos  at  a  special  elec- 
tion, by  the  following  vote — Backenstos,  2,334; 
John  Scott  (Anti-Mormon  Democrat),  750. 


328  THE    PItOPIIET    OF    PALMYRA. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  (1845),  a  series  of 
events  occurred  which  had  no  warrant  in  law  or 
order,  and  which  must  be  condemned  by  every  good 
citizen  and  friend  of  good  government.  They  had 
for  their  object  the  forcible  expulsion  of  the  whole 
Mormon  community  from  the  county  and  State. 
The  disorders  at  Nauvoo,  the  vast  amount  of  thiev- 
ing and  other  depredations  upon  property,  the 
many  murders  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  consequent 
feeljng  of  fear  and  insecurity  everywhere,  were 
offered  in  vindication  by  those  who  approved  the 
measures.  And  while  not  accepting  the  reasoning 
as  good,  the  writer  dismisses  the  point  by  asking 
those  who  condemn  :  What  would  have  been  YOUR 
remedy  under  the  circumstances  ? 

On  the  night  of  September  9th,  a  meeting  of 
Anti-Mormons  was  being  held  for  some  purpose  at 
a  school-house  in  Green  Plains,  when  it  was  fired 
upon  by  some  party  in  the  bush.  A  village  of 
Mormons,  known  as  Morley-Town,  was  located  in 
the  near  neighborhood.  It  was  at  once  resolved  to 
begin  the  expulsion  of  the  people  from  said  village 
and  vicinity.  This  resolve  was  put  in  execution 
the  next  night,  when  two  cabins  were  burned  and 
the  inmates  notified  to  leave  the  settlement.  For 
a  week  the  burning  continued,  until  the  whole  of 
the  little  village  was  in  ashes,  together  with  many 
other  residences  in  the  Bear  Creek  and  Green 


MORE  VIOLENCE  ASD  BLOODSHED.       320 

Plains  region.  In  all,  it  is  stated  that  as  many  as 
one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  houses 
were  burned,  and  their  occupants  driven  off. 

For  humanity's  sake,  we  are  glad  to  be  able  to 
record  the  fact  that  this  great  destruction  of  prop- 
erty was  accompanied  by  very  little  violence  or 
personal  ill-treatment.  Indeed,  much  of  it  was 
done  in  an  orderly  and  peaceable  manner,  as  though 
its  perpetrators  had  warrant  of  law  for  their  con- 
duct. From  a  History  of  Hancock  County — 1880, 
we  quote  the  following  : 

"  From  a  very  respectable  old  gentleman  (now 
deceased),  who  was  a  witness  of  some  of  the  house- 
burning  operations  in  the  fall  of  1845,  we  have  the 
following  statement  received  from  him  verbally, 
during  the  last  year.  He  says  that  for  such  lawless 
and  outrageous  acts,  they  were  done  in  such  a  quiet 
and  orderly  manner  as  to  be  astonishing.  He  re- 
sided not  far  from  some  of  the  houses  that  were 
burned ;  and  hearing  what  was  going  on,  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  to  where  the  work  was 
in  progress. 

"  The  manner  was  to  go  to  a  house  and  warn  the 
inmates  out — that  they  were  going  to  burn  it. 
Usually  there  would  be  no  show  of  resistance  ;  but 
all  hands,  burners  and  all,  would  proceed  to  take 
out  the  goods  and  place  them  out  of  danger.  When 
the  goods  were  all  securely  removed /the  torch 
would  be  applied  and  the  house  consumed.  Then 
on  to  another.  ...  As  an  evidence  of  the 
coolness  and  good  temper  in  which  this  work  was 
done,  our  informant  relates  the  following,  to  which 
he  says  he  was  an  eye-witness.  While  the  burners 
were  engaged  in  burning  a  certain  house,  a  young 


330  THE   PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

woman  belonging  to  the  family,  standing  and  look- 
ing on,  felt  an  inclination  to  smoke,  and  asked  one 
of  the  burners  for  some  tobacco.  Having  none 
himself,  he  pointed  to  one  of  his  comrades,  and  said 
he  would  give  her  some.  She  approached  the  other ; 
he  unconcernedly  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket, 
handed  her  the  tobacco,  from  which  she  took  what 
she  wanted,  and  handed  it  back  ;  when  he  went  on 
with  the  work  in  hand,  and  she  proceeded  to 
smoke  !  " 

These  burnings  produced  intense  excitement  all 
over  the  county.  Numbers  collected  from  differ- 
ent quarters  to  join  the  rioters.  Sheriff  Backenstos 
endeavored  to  raise  &  posse  among  the  old  citizens 
to  suppress  the  disturbances,  but  such  was  the 
hatred  in  which  he  was  held  outside  of  Nauvoo, 
that  his  efforts  entirely  failed.  He  thereupon  issued 
a  proclamation  dated  at  Green  Plains,  on  the  13th, 
calling  on  the  rioters  to  desist,  and  upon  the  posse 
comitatus  of  the  county  to  assist  him.  He  also 
stated  that  it  was  his  policy  to  have  the  Mormons 
remain  quiet ;  but  that  two  thousand  armed  men 
held  themselves  in  readiness  in  Nauvoo  to  come  to 
his  assistance  when  necessary.  Failing  to  obtain 
a  force  outside  of  the  city,  he  resorted  to  these,  and 
soon  succeeded  in  dispersing  the  rioters.  On  the 
16th,  Lieutenant  Franklin  A.  Worrell,  of  the  Car- 
thage Greys,  was  killed  by  a  small  squad  of  his 
posse  while  crossing  the  prairie,  in  no  way  con- 
nected with  the  burners ;  and  on  the  17th,  Samuel 
McBratney,  one  of  the  burners,  was  killed. 


MORE  VIOLENCE  Al'D  BLOODSHED.       331 

Sheriff  Backenstos,  at  the  head  of  his  large  force, 
now  had  the  county  under  his  control.  On  the 
19th,  at  sun-down,  at  the  head  of  several  hundred 
men,  he  rode  into  Carthage,  surrounded  the  place, 
and  ordered  all  the  citizens  to  be  arrested  and 
brought  to  headquarters  in  the  court-house.  He 
said  he  was  in  quest  of  criminals.  After  roughly 
handling  those  most  obnoxious  to  him,  and  searching 
their  houses  for  arms,  most  of  them  were  set  at  lib- 
erty. In  the  morning  the  main  force  was  with- 
drawn, fifty  men  being  left  to  guard  the  place. 
These  remained  in  possession  of  the  court-house 
some  days,  until  the  arrival  of  General  Hardin  with 
a  force  of  State  troops  sent  by  the  Governor,  when 
they  were  summarily  dismissed. 

Backenstos  and  the  notorious  O.  P.  Rockwell 
of  Danite  memory,  were  both  subsequently  indicted 
for  the  murder  of  Worrell,  and  both  acquitted — 
the  former  under  trial  by  change  of  venue  at  Peoria, 
and  the  latter  at  Galena.  Who  was  the  actual 
guilty  party  may  never  be  known.  We  have 
recently  been  informed  from  Salt  Lake,  by  a  party 
in  a  position  to  know,  that  Rockwell  did  the 
deed  under  the  Sherift's  order,  which  is  probably 
true. 

Two  other  murders  were  committed  about  this 
time  by  Mormons — one  in  Nauvoo  and  the  other  in 
Camp  Creek  settlement.  On  the  16th,  Phineas 


332  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

\Vilcox,  a  young  man  from  St.  Mary's  township, 
went  into  the  city  on  business;  was  there  charged 
with  being  a  spy,  and  was  never  afterwards  seen 
by  his  friends.  Circumstances  strongly  showed 
that  he  had  been  murdered  and  thrown  into  the 
river.  The  other  case — that  of  Andrew  Dauben- 
heyer — was  equally  mysterious  for  a  time.  He 
resided  in  the  Camp  Creek  neighborhood,  and  was 
known  as  an  active  Anti-Mormon.  On  the  18th 
of  September,  he  started  to  Carthage  with  a  two- 
horse  wagon-load  of  provisions,  which,  it  is  said, 
were  intended  for  the  rioters.  On  the  evening  of 
the  20th,  he  left  Carthage  on  horse-back  for  his 
home,  which  he  never  reached ;  but  on  the  morning 
of  the  21st,  his  horse  came  home  without  him. 
On  his  road  home  was  an  encampment  of  the 
Sheriff's  posse ,  and  the  belief  was  that  he  had  been 
waylaid  and  killed  by  them.  Search  being  after- 
wards made,  his  body  was  found  buried  near  the 
place  of  encampment. 

Going  back  to  the  origin  of  the  burning :  It  has 
been  charged  by  the  Mormons  and  their  friends, 
that  the  firing  on  the  school-house  at  Green  Plains 
was  a  sham — a  scheme  previously  arranged  by  the 
mobbers  to  create  a  sympathy  in  their  behalf,  and 
furnish  an  excuse  for  tiie  contemplated  raid. 
Whether  this  be  true  or  not,  circumstances  exist- 
ing at  the  time  render  it  extremely  probable.  It 


MOKE  VIOLENCE  AND  BLOODSHED.       3:53 

is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  the  Mormons  in  that 
remote  settlement  from  the  city,  and  at  a  time  of 
so  much  excitement  against  them,  could  be  so  ag- 
gressive as  to  commit  such  an  act. 


334  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

NINE  COUNTIES  INTERFERE THE  END  APPROACHING. 

COLONEL  HARDIN  AND  His  ADVISERS — MAJOR  WARREN  LEFT 
IN  COMMAND — CONVENTION  OF  NINE  COUNTIES — BROWN- 
ING'S RESOLUTIONS— ACTION  OF  THE  CONVENTION — COR- 
RESPONDENCE WITH  THE  MORMON  LEADERS — THE  INEV- 
ITABLE ACCEPTED. 

As  on  former  occasions,  these  excesses  called  for 
executive  interference.  Accordingly,  Governor 
Ford  again  sent  a  force  of  volunteers  into  the 
county,  and  again  under  command  of  that  brave 
and  sagacious  officer  and  statesman,  Colonel  John 
J.  Hardin.  He  was  accompanied  by  Attorney- 
General  John  A.  McDougal,  Judge  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  Major  Wm.  B.  Warren,  as  advisers. 
On  the  arrival  of  these  with  a  strong  body  of 
troops,  everything  became  quiet.  On  the  27th 
of  September,  General  Hardin  issued  a  proclama- 
tion to  the  people  of  the  county,  enjoining  them 
to  keep  the  peace  and  obey  the  laws  and  con- 
stituted authorities.  In  conjunction  with  his  ad- 
visers, he  visited  Nauvoo  and  entered  into  a  cor- 
respondence with  the  authorities  of  the  Mormon 
people,  which  resulted  in  their  agreeing  to  leave 
the  county  and  State  in  the  following  spring ;  after 


NINE    COUNTIES    INTERFERE.  335 

which  he  withdrew  the  main  body  of  his  forces, 
leaving  Major  Warren  in  the  county  to  maintain 
the  peace,  with  a  detachment  of  about  one  hundred 
men,  to  remain  until  withdrawn  by  the  Governor. 
To  the  discreet  action  and  gentlemanly  behavior  of 
Major  Warren  and  his  officers  and  men,  during  the 
winter,  the  county  was  much  indebted  for  the  good 
order  that  reigned.* 

Previous  to  General  Hardin's  arrival,  the  people 
of  the  surrounding  counties,  in  view  of  the  dis- 
turbed condition  of  the  county  of  Hancock,  and 
becoming  alarmed  for  their  own  safety,  determined 
to  hold  a  convention  to  take  the  subject  into  consid- 
eration. That  convention  may  be  regarded  as  a 
turning  point  in  the  affairs  of  the  county.  It  was 
held  at  Carthage  on  the  first  and  second  days  of 
October,  and  was  composed  of  representative  and 
earnest  men  of  high  standing  in  the  nine  counties 
of  Adams,  Brown,  Pike,  Schuyler,  Marquette,  Mc- 
Donough,  Warren,  Knox,  and  Henderson — Han- 
cock being  purposely  excluded.  Fifty  delegates 
were  reported.  Hon.  Orville  H.  Browning,  of 
Adams,  moved  for  a  committee  of  three  from 
each  county  to  prepare  and  report  resolutions ; 

*  These  troops  belonged  principally  to  the  Qnincy  Biflemen, 
an  independent  company  composed  of  young  men  of  the  highest 
character  in  that  city— two  of  whose  officers,  Captain  James 
D.  Morgan  and  Lieutenant  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss,  did  conspic- 
uous service  later  as  Generals  in  the  war  for  the  Union. 


336  THE    PUOPHE.T    OF    PALMYRA. 

and  afterwards,  as  chairman,  presented  a  series, 
of  which  we  introduce  only  two,  as  embracing 
the  sense  of  the  convention  on  the  points  men- 
tioned : 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  settled  and  deliberate 
conviction  of  this  convention,  that  it  is  now  too 
late  to  attempt  the  settlement  of  the  difficulties  in 
Hancock  County  upon  any  other  basis  than  that  of 
the  removal  of  the  Mormons  from  the  State;  and  we 
therefore  accept,  and  respectfully  recommend  to 
the  people  of  the  surrounding  counties  to  accept, 
the  proposition  made  by  the  Mormons  to  remove 
from  the  State  next  spring,  and  to  wait  with  patience 
the  time  for  removal. 

"Resolved,  That  we  utterly  repudiate  the  impu- 
dent assertion,  so  often  and  so  constantly  put  forth 
by  the  Mormons,  that  they  are  persecuted  for  right- 
eousness' sake.  We  do  not  believe  them  to  be  a 
persecuted  people.  We  KNOW  that  they  are  not; 
but  that  whatever  grievances  they  may  suffer  are 
the  necessary  and  legitimate  consequences  of  their 
illegal,  wicked,  and  dishonest  acts." 

At  the  distance  of  more  than  forty  years  from 
the  date  when  the  sentiment,  as  contained  in  the 
first  of  these  resolutions,  was  uttered,  it  reads 
strangely  that  such  a  body  of  men  could  be  induced 
to  sanction  the  entire  expulsion  of  ten  or  twelve 
thousand  people  from  a  State  where  they  were 
making  their  homes.  And  yet  that  resolution  passed 
unanimously,  and  was  applauded  and  accepted  by 
nine-tenths  of  the  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  people  of 


NINE    COrNTlES    IXTEHFERE.  337 

the  nine  counties  that  convention  represented.  Every 
reader  of  these  pages  must  agree  that  there  is  some- 
thing radically  wrong  in  the  laws  or  their  admin- 
istration or.  in  the  state  of  society  that  renders  such 
a  thing  possible.  The  writer  of  this  was  a  spec- 
tator at  that  convention,  and  he  testifies  to  the  high 
character  of  its  members,  and  knows  with  what  pru- 
dence and  earnestness  its  deliberations  were  con- 
ducted ;  but  whether  the  circumstances  at  the  time 
existing  were  sufficient  to  justify  such  action,  or 
whether  THEY  CAN  EXIST,  is  a  problem  he  prefers 
to  leave  with  the  reader.  The  other  resolution, 
however,  met  with  his  entire  assent.  And  here 
attention  is  called  to  the  fact,  that  when  the  Mor- 
mons first  made  their  appearance  in  Illinois,  six 
years  before,  all  these  people  sympathized  with 
them,  and  believed  their  story  of  persecution.  Mr. 
Browning*  was  especially  eloquent  in  denouncing 
the  "  Border  Ruffians  "  of  Missouri,  for  their  treat- 
ment of  these  so-called  persecuted  and  inoffensive 
people.  And  what  could  have  produced  the  change  ? 
It  is  preposterous  to  say  that  a  whole  community 
would — or  could — in  the  short  space  of  six  years, 
from  being  warm  sympathizers  with,  and  aiders  and 
helpers  of,  an  innocent  people,  turn  around  and 


*  Hoii.  O.  H.  Browning  was  a  resident  of  Quincy,  a  leading 
and  abls  member  of  the  Bar — and  afterwards  held  the  position 
of  United  States  Senator  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


3:  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

become  themselves  their  persecutors.  The  fact 
exists,  as  clear  as  sunlight,  that  every  word  of  this 
second  resolution  is  true.  It  has  been  true  ever 
since  the  feeble  cry  of  "  persecution  "  was  uttered 
by  the  embryo-prophet  at  Palmyra  down  to  this 
convention  ;  and  since,  through  the  dreadful  scenes 
in  the  wilderness,  till  it  was  stifled  in  the  shrieks 
and  cries  of  defenceless  women  and  children  at 
Mountain  Meadows  and  Springville.  Yet  the  cry 
of  "  Persecution  !  "  and  "  Let  us  alone  !  "  is  still 
heard  on  every  hand,  and  echoed  through  the  press 
of  the  country. 

The  action  of  this  convention  had  a  quieting  effect 
on  the  public,  and  no  doubt  satisfied  many  waver- 
ing minds  that  the  conclusion  to  which  it  arrived, 
was  the  only  one  that  would  give  peace.  And  the 
Mormons  also  accepted  it  as  inevitable,  and  earn- 
estly prepared  to  act  accordingly.  As  a  basis 
for  the  subsequent  action  of  both  parties,  the  cor- 
respondence heretofore  mentioned  is  here  repro- 
duced : 

"NAuvoo,  Oct.  1,  1845. 

"  To  the  First  President  and  Council  of  the  Church 
at  Nauvoo : 

< '  Having  had  a  free  and  full  conversation  with  you 
this  day,  in  reference  to  your  proposed  remoA'al 
from  this  county,  together  with  the  members  of 
your  Church,  we  have  to  request  you  to  submit  the 
facts  and  intentions  stated  to  us  in  said  converse- 


NINE    COUNTIES    INTERFERE.  339 

tion  to  writing,  in  order  that  we  may  lay  them 
before  the  Governor  and  People  of  the  State.  We 
hope  that  by  so  doing  it  will  have  a  tendency  to 
allay  the  excitement  at  present  existing  in  the  public 
mind.  We  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  ourselves, 
"  Respectfully  yours,  etc., 

JOHN  J.  HAEDIN, 
S.  A.  DOUGLAS, 
W.  B.  WARREN, 
J.  A.  McDouGAL." 

To  which  the  following  reply  was  received : 
«NAUVOO,  Oct.  7,  1845. 

"  To  Gen.  John  J.  Hardin,  8.  A.  Douglas,  W. 
B.  Warren  and  J.  A.  McDougal: 

t 1  MESSRS  :  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  this  date 
requesting  us  to  <  submit  the  facts  and  intentions 
stated  by  us  to  writing,  in  order  that  you  may  lay 
them  before  the  Governor  and  People  of  the  State,' 
we  would  refer  you  to  a  communication  of  the  24th 
ultimo,  to  the  <  Quincy  Committee,'  a  copy  of  which 
is  herewith  enclosed. 

"  In  addition  to  this  we  would  say,  that  we  had 
commenced  making  arrangements  to  remove  from 
this  county  previous  to  the  recent  disturbances ; 
that  we  now  have  four  companies  organized  of  one 
hundred  families  each,  and  six  more  companies  now 
organizing  of  the  same  number  each,  preparatory 
to  removal.  That  one  thousand  families,  including 
the  Twelve,  the  High  Council,  the  Trustees  and 
general  authorities  of  the  Church,  are  fully  deter- 
mined to  remove  in  the  spring,  independent  of  the 
contingency  of  selling  our  property, — and  that  this 
company  will  comprise  from  five  to  six  thousand 
souls. 

"  That  the  Church,  as  a  body,  desires  to  remove 


340  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

with  us,  and  will,  if  sales  can  be  effected,  so  as  to 
raise  the  necessary  means. 

<  <  That  the  organization  of  the  Church  we  repre- 
sent is  such,  that  there  never  can  exist  but  one  head 
or  Presidency  at  any  one  time,  and  all  good  mem- 
bers wish  to  be  with  the  organization ;  and  all  are 
determined  to  remove  to  some  distant  point  where 
we  shall  neither  infringe  or  be  infringed  upon,  so 
soon  as  time  and  means  will  permit. 

"  That  we  have  some  hundreds  of  farms  and 
some  two  thousand  or  more  houses  for  sale  in  this 
city  and  county,  and  we  request  all  good  citizens 
to  assist  in  the  disposal  of  our  property. 

* '  That  we  do  not  expect  to  find  purchasers  for 
our  Temple  and  other  public  buildings  ;  but  we  are 
willing  to  rent  them  to  a  respectable  community 
who  may  inhabit  the  city. 

"  That  we  wish  it  distinctly  understood,  that, 
although  we  may  not  find  purchasers  for  our  prop- 
erty, we  will  not  sacrifice  or  give  it  away,  or  suffer 
it  illegally  to  be  wrested  from  us. 

"  That  we  do  not  intend  to  sow  any  wheat  this 
fall,  and  should  we  all  sell  we  shall  not  put  in  any 
more  crops  of  any  description. 

1 «  That  as  soon  as  practicable  we  will  appoint  com- 
mittees for  this  city,  La  Harpe,  Macedonia,  Bear 
Creek,  and  all  necessary  places  in  the  county,  to 
give  information  to  purchasers. 

'  «  That  if  these  testimonies  are  not  sufficient  to 
satisfy  any  people  that  we  are  in  earnest,  we  will 
soon  give  them  a  sign  that  cannot  be  mistaken — we 
will  leave  them! 
,    "  In  behalf  of  the  Council, 

66  Respectfully  yours,  etc., 

< <  BRIGHAM  YOUNG,  •* 
< '  President, 

«WILLARD  RICHARDS,  Clerk." 


NINE    COUNTIES    INTERFERE.  341 

The  communication  to  the  Quincy  Committee 
was  of  similar  import,  but  referred  particularly 
and  in  eloquent  terms  to  their  sufferings  and 
grievances,  here  and  elsewhere,  and  begged  to  be 
let  alone. 


342  THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

THE   EXODUS    BEGUN. 

ACTIVE  PREPARATIONS  FOR  LEAVING — CROSSING  INTO  IOWA 
— MAJOR  WARREN  AND  His  FORCE — DISBANDED  AND  RE- 
MUSTERED— O.  P.  ROCKWELL— ARREST,  TRIAL,  AND  AC- 
QUITTAL— DR.  PICKET — POSSE  UNDER  CARLIN — MAJOR 
PARKER'S  FORCE— WAR  OF  PROCLAMATIONS— SINGLETON'S 
PEACE — RESIGNS  THE  COMMAND — MAJOR  BROCKMAN  SUC- 
CEEDS— ADVANCE  TOWARD  THE  CITY. 

IN  accordance  with  the  pledge  given  to  General 
Hardin  and  his  associates  by  Brigham  Young  on 
behalf  of  the  church,  active  preparations  were  made 
in  Nauvoo  during  the  winter  to  remove  in  the  spring. 
Those  residing  in  the  country  made  sales  of  prop- 
erty as  fast  as  they  could,  and  retired  to  the  city 
in  order  to  join  the  expeditions.  Large  numbers 
of  wagons  and  teams  were  obtained  by  exchange 
for  other  property ;  many  vehicles  were  manufac- 
tured in  the  city,  and  horses  and  oxen  were  in  great 
demand.  Although  it  had  been  announced  through 
their  correspondence  that  property  would  not  be 
sacrificed,  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  many  distress- 
ing sacrifices  were  made — especially  of  such  prop- 
erty as  could  not  be  rendered  available  for  the  pur- 
poses of  the  expedition. 


THE    EXODUS    BEGUN.  343 

During  all  this  period,  it  does  not  appear  that 
any  "Land  of  Promise"  had  been  decided  on  to 
which  they  were  to"  wend  their  way ;  the  main  pur- 
pose being  to  get  to  some  uninhabited  region, 
where  they  could  * «  neither  infringe  or  be  infringed 
upon."  The  nearest,  the  easiest,  the  quickest  way 
to  do  that,  in  the  judgment  of  Young  and  the  lead- 
ers, was  to  cross  the  Mississippi  into  the  territory 
of  Iowa,  and  follow  the  setting  sun.  This  seemed 
to  be  the  plan  that  would  most  certainly  keep  their 
followers  together,  and  hold  them  in  complete  sub- 
jection to  their  leader's  will.  And  the  rank  and 
file  set  out  on  the  journey  with  the  heroism  of 
martyrs — not  knowing  whither,  or  the  trials  they 
were  to  undergo ;  believing  only  that  in  so  doing 
they  were  obeying  the  commands  of  the  Most 
High/ 

As  early  as  February  10th,  the  weather  having 
been  favorable,  it  was  stated  that  as  many  as  one 
thousand  persons,  including  most  of  the  Twelve, 
and  many  of  the  other  dignitaries  of  the  church, 
had  crossed  into  Iowa,  and  were  on  their  way  west- 
ward. As  spring  advanced,  they  were  still  leaving 
in  large  numbers ;  though  the  advance  had  not 
reached  beyond  Keosauqua,  on  the  Des  Moines 
river,  some  sixty  miles  away ;  from  which  point 
they  kept  up  a  constant  intercourse  with  the  city. 
The  adherents  of  Rigdon,  Strang,  and  Patriarch 


344  THE    PEOPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

William  Smith  remained  behind,  agreeing  in  their 
denunciations  of  the  Twelve,  and  in  censure  of  the 
western  movement. 

In  April,  1846,  Major  Warren  had  orders  from 
Governor  Ford  to  disband,  and  withdraw  his  force 
on  the  first  of  May.  He  and  his  faithful  volunteers 
had  their  headquarters  at  Carthage  all  winter,  and 
had  performed  many  arduous  and  delicate  duties  in 
preservation  of  the  peace,  arresting  offenders,  and 
executing  writs.  Their  aid  had  been  invoked  on 
all  sides,  in  all  parts  of  the  county ;  and  they  had 
been  employed  on  numerous  occasions  in  Nauvoo 
in  the  execution  of  process.  They  had  been  braved 
and  threatened  and  insulted,  even  to  violent  resist- 
ance in  that  city ;  but  they  on  all  occasions  exhib- 
ited a  prudence,  firmness,  and  judgment  which 
entitled  them  to  the  regard  of  all  good  citizens. 

The  contemplated  withdrawal  of  the  guard,  to- 
gether with  indications  at  Nauvoo,  gave  general 
uneasiness  to  the  people.  It  began  to  be  feared 
that  many  of  the  Mormons  were  not  intending  to 
leave ;  but  to  quietly  remain,  in  the  hope  and  ex- 
pectation that  in  time  all  danger  would  be  over. 
Public  meetings  began  to  be  held  in  Hancock  and 
other  counties,  at  which  these  apprehensions  were 
expressed  and  reference  made  to  the  action  of  the 
nine  counties  in  October.  These  demonstrations 
brought  a  letter  of  inquiry  from  Mr.  Babbitt,  the 


THE    EXODUS    BEGUN.  345 

Mormon  agent,  to  Governor  Ford.  In  his  reply 
the  Governor  denied  that  either  he  or  the  State 
had  been  a  party  to  the  compact  that  the  Mormons 
should  leave  in  the  spring.  Yet  he  also  plainly 
intimated  that  they  were  bound  to  go,  and  that  he 
would  be  powerless  to  prevent  their  expulsion. 
"I  tell  you  plainly,"  said  his  excellency,  "that 
the  people  of  Illinois  will  not  fight  for  the  Mor- 
mons." 

On  the  day  following  Major  Warren's  disband- 
ment  of  his  force  at  Carthage,  he  received  an  order 
from  the  Governor  to  retain  them  in  service  until 
further  orders.  They  were  again  mustered  in  and 
remained  on  duty,  making  their  headquarters  chiefly 
at  the  Mansion  House  in  Nauvoo.  On  May  14th, 
the  Major  sent  a  dispatch  to  the  Warsaw  /Signal, 
stating  that  the  Mormons  were  leaving  with  all 
possible  speed ;  that  the  ferry  was  crossing  as  fast 
as  possible ;  that  on  an  estimate,  four  hundred  arid 
fifty  teams  and  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  souls  had 
gone  within  the  week ;  that  new  settlers  were  taking 
their  places,  etc.  Information  was  also  received, 
he  said,  from  La  Harpe,  Macedonia,  and  other 
points,  that  they  were  fast  leaving  those  points. 
On  the  22d  he  reported : 

*  <  The  Mormons  still  continue  to  leave  the  city 
in  large  numbers.  The  ferry  at  this  place  averages 
about  fifty-two  teams  per  day,  and  at  Fort  Madison 


346  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

forty-five.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  five  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  teams  have  left  during  the  week, 
which  average  about  three  persons  to  each,  making 
in  all  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventeen 
souls." 

A  week  later  the  reported  estimate  was  about 
eight  hundred  teams. 

After  the  Twelve  and  principal  leaders  had  left, 
and  were  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  Keosauqua, 
O.  P.  Rockwell  was  employed  by  them  as  messen- 
ger between  the  camp  and  the  city,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  became  very  violent  and  abusive  in  his 
conduct ;  so  much  so,  that  they  began  to  fear  he 
would  bring  trouble  upon  them.  On  May  1st,  a 
writ  was  issued  for  his  arrest,  on  the  affidavit  of  a 
Dr.  Watson,  charging  him  with  the  murder  of 
Lieutenant  Worrell,  the  preceding  autumn.  The 
writ  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  some  of  Major 
Warren's  men,  who  arrested  him,  surrounded  by 
fifteen  shooters  and  other  implements  of  defence. 
He  waived  examination,  and  was  sent  to  Quincy 
to  jail.  At  the  May  term  of  court,  a  true  bill 
was  found  against  him  by  the  grand  jury,  and  he 
was  sent  to  Galena  for  trial,  having  obtained  a 
change  of  venue  from  this  circuit.  He  was  ac- 
quitted. 

Warlike  demonstrations  still  continuing,  on  May 
llth  Major  Warren  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which 
he  warned  the  Anti-Mormons  to  desist ;  assuring 


THE    EXODUS    BEGUN.  347 

them,  that  in  his  opinion,  the  Mormons  were  making 
all  reasonable  efforts  to  leave  the  county.  Notwith- 
standing this  assurance,  a  public  meeting  was  held 
at  Carthage,  at  which  the  opinion  was  expressed 
that  large  numbers  of  them  designed  to  remain ; 
and  recommending  that  the  citizens  of  the  surround- 
ing counties  should  forthwith  prepare  to  put  in 
force  the  resolutions  of  October  last.  Accordingly, 
a  considerable  force  was  assembled  at  Carthage  and 
thence  marched  to  Golden' s  Point,  where  they  held 
a  conference  with  a  deputation  of  the  new  citizens 
of  Nauvoo,  who  had  been  invited  to  meet  them 
there.  The  latter  objecting  to  their  entrance  into 
the  city,  and  the  force  being  weak  and  poorly 
officered  and  drilled,  it  was  decided  to  retire  again 
to  Carthage,  where  it  was  soon  afterwards  dis- 
banded. 

The  peace  was  of  short  duration.  About  the 
10th  of  July,  some  difficulties  occurred  in  the  north 
part  of  the  county,  east  of  the  city ;  arrests  were 
made  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  until  some 
ten  or  fifteen  of  the  old  citizens  were  held  in  cus- 
tody in  the  city,  and  a  number  of  Mormons  (among 
whom  was  Brigham  Young)  held  in  durance  outside 
as  hostages.  Such  was  the  condition  for  over  a 
week.  For  fear  of  an  attack  and  rescue,  the  host- 
ages were  kept  closely  hidden,  and  were  several 
times  removed  from  place  to  place  under  cover  of 


348  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYEA. 

night,  but  subjected  to  no  personal  violence.  At 
length  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  obtained  in 
Adams  County,  served  on  the  officers  at  Nauvoo, 
and  they  and  their  prisoners  taken  to  Quincy ,  where 
the  prisoners  were  released  on  bail.  The  Mormon 
hostages  were  then  set  at  liberty. 

The  new  citizens  at  Nauvoo  were  generally  an 
orderly  and  well-disposed  people,  but  they  had 
among  them  a  few  ruffianly  and  turbulent  spirits, 
who,  by  their  prominence  and  intemperate  conduct, 
contributed  to  the  disorder.  Of  these  were  three 
men,  Dr.  Pickett  and  Messrs.  Clifford  and  Furness, 
who  had  arrested  and  detained  the  prisoners  above 
mentioned.  During  the  first  week  in  August,  these 
three  were  charged  with  false  imprisonment  and 
robbery,  and  writs  issued  for  their  arrest  by  John 
Banks,  Esq.,  of  Rocky  Run  township.  The  writs 
were  placed  in  the  hands  of  John  Carlin,  of  Car- 
thage, a  deputy  sheriff.  On  the  7th,  he  went  to 
Nauvoo,  and  arrested  Clifford  and  Furness,  but  was 
resisted  and  defied  by  Pickett.  On  the  17th,  he 
issued  a  proclamation  calling  on  the  posse  comitatus 
to  assemble  at  the  county  seat  on  Monday,  the 
24th,  to  aid  in  Pickett's  arrest.  A  meeting  had 
been  held  in  Nauvoo  on  the  12th,  at  which  it  had 
been  resolved  that  Carlin's  writ  should  not  be 
executed ;  it  also  took  measures  to  organize  for 
military  resistance. 


THE    EXODUS    BEGUN.  849 

On  the  21st,  Governor  Ford,  at  Springfield,  sent 
an  order  to  Major  James  R.  Parker,  of  the  32d 
regiment  of  Illinois  militia,  saying: 

* 4  SIR  :  I  have  received  information  that  another 
effort  is  to  be  made  on  Monday  next,  to  drive  out 
the  inhabitants  of  Nauvoo,  new  and  old,  and  to 
destroy  the  city." 

And  Major  Parker  was  authorized  to  call  out  and 
take  command  of  such  persons  as  would  volunteer, 
"  free  of  cost  to  the  State,"  to  repel  any  attack 
and  defend  the  city.  He  was  also  authorized 
to  assist  any  peace  officer  in  making  arrests.  This 
order  of  the  Governor  placed  Parker  and  Carlin 
in  direct  antagonism.  Carlin's  proclamation  was 
dated  on  the  17th;  on  the  25th,  Parker,  having 
appeared  in  the  county  with  a  small  force,  issued  a 
counter-proclamation,  calling  on  all  bodies  of  armed 
men  in  the  county  to  disperse,  and  stating  that  he 
held  himself  in  readiness  "  to  aid  any  officer  in  any 
part  of  the  county  in  executing  any  lawful  writs  in 
his  hands."  Carlin  replied  by  letter,  that  he  was  a 
legally  constituted  officer  with  writs  in  his  hands 
to  execute — that  he  had  been  resisted,  and  had 
called  out  the  posse  to  aid  him — that  he  did  not 
acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  military  to  inter- 
fere— that  a  large  force  was  collecting,  and  he 
should  proceed.  To  this  Parker  rejoined  that  he 
was  sent  by  the  Governor  of  the  State — that  the 
force  under  Carlin  was  a  mob,  whose  aim  was  to 


350  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

set  the  Mormons  over  the  river,  and  he  must  so 
treat  them.  This  brought  still  another  from  Car- 
lin,  who  simply  reiterated  his  former  statements. 
Thereupon  the  gallant  Major  fell  back  on  procla- 
mations. On  the  28th  he  issued  a  third,  and  on 
the  3d  of  September  a  fourth,  warning  "the  mob  *' 
to  desist. 

During  this  war  of  proclamations >  a  force  in  aid 
of  Carlin  was  concentrating  at  Carthage,  of  men 
from  Hancock  and  several  adjoining  counties.  This 
force,  numbering  from  six  hundred  to  eight  hun- 
dred men,  was  placed  under  command  of  Colonel 
James  W.  Singleton,  of  Brown  County,  and  con- 
sisted of  two  regiments — Colonel  Thomas  Brock- 
man,  of  Brown,  in  command  of  the  first,  and  the 
second  commanded  by  Colonel  Thomas  Geddes,  of 
Hancock.  It  was  encamped  five  miles  northwest 
of  Carthage,  on  the  Nauvoo  road.  Here  secret 
negotiations  began  for  a  compromise,  between  the 
commander  and  the  Mormons,  and  were  concluded  ; 
but,  on  being  submitted  to  his  command,  wTere 
unanimously  rejected  by  his  officers  and  men,  amid 
much  excitement.  The  conditions  of  this  agree- 
ment were,  in  short — That  the  Mormon  population 
of  Nauvoo  shall  all  leave  within  sixty  days ;  that 
a  force  of  twenty-five  men  shall  be  left  as  a  guard, 
the  expense  to  be  equally  borne  by  both  parties ; 
that  an  attorney  be  selected  to  take  charge  of  all 


THE    EXODUS    BEGUN.  351 

^writs  ;  that  the  Mormons  shall  deliver  up  the  State 
arms  yet  in  their  possession ;  and  that  all  hostilities 
shall  at  once  cease. 

At  this  remote  period,  it  would  seem  that  these 
conditions  were  hard  enough  on  the  Mormons,  and 
that  their  antagonists  were  unnecessarily  severe  in 
rejecting  them.  The  reasons  given  for  their  rejection 
were  mainly  that  no  confidence  could  be  placed  in 
the  Mormon  professions  of  sincerity  about  removal, 
and  that  no  provision  was  made  for  the  execution 
of  the  writs  in  Carlin's  hands.  On  the  rejection  of 
his  treaty,  Colonel  Singleton  withdrew  from  the 
command.  Carlin  thereupon  appointed  Colonel 
Brockman  to  the  command,  who  immediately  gave 
orders  to  advance  toward  the  city,  and  on  the  10th 
the  whole  force,  numbering  about  seven  hundred 
men,  marched  toward  Nauvoo,  and  encamped  about 
three  miles  from  the  Temple.  Here  a  committee 
of  Quincy  gentlemen,  consisting  of  Hon.  John 
Wood,  Major  Flood,  and  Joel  Rice,  Esq.,  ap- 
peared and  proposed  a  compromise.  Terms  were 
named  to  them,  and  by  them  taken  to  the  city ; 
but  no  answer  was  received.  The  posse  was  then 
put  in  motion  toward  the  city,  and  for  two  days 
considerable  skirmishing  was  carried  on  between 
the  respective  picket  guards,  and  some  firing  01 
artillery — of  which  both  forces  had  a  few  small 
pieces.  On  the  12th,  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  in  by 


352  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

Colonels  Brockman  and  Carlin,  demanding  a  sur- 
render. It  was  replied  to  by  Major  Benjamin 
Clifford  (Major  Parker  having  left),  refusing  to 
comply. 


A   BATTLE,  A   TBEATY-THE  END.       353 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

A    BATTLE,    A    TKEATY,  AND    THE    END. 

WARSAW  SIGNAL'S  REPORT  OF  THE  BATTLE — QUINCY  COMMIT- 
TEE OF  ONE  HUNDRED— A  TRUCE— THE  CITY  SURRENDERS 
— THE  TREATY  —  THE  KILLED  AND  WOUNDED  —  MORE 
TROUBLE  AND  MORE  TROOPS — REFLECTIONS. 

PREPARATIONS  to  give  battle  were,  therefore, 
immediately  made.  As  this  was  the  only  real 
military  engagement  of  the  war,  we  deem  a  re- 
port of  it  in  full,  as  given  in  the  Warsaw  Signal 
of  October  13th,  worthy  of  a  place  in  these 
pages : 

THE    BATTLE. 

"  After  the  reception  of  this  letter  (Clifford's), 
the  army  was  drawn  up  in  column  on  a  piece  of 
high  ground  lying  between  the  camp  and  the  city. 
While  in  this  position,  a  few  shots  were  fired  from 
a  breastwork  the  Mormons  had  erected  during  the 
night,  and  the  fire  was  returned  from  our  artillery. 
So  soon  as  all  was  ready,  the  Warsaw  Riflemen 
were  divided  into  two  sections,  and  deployed  on 
the  right  and  left  as  flankers.  Captain  Newton's 
Lima  Guards,  with  Captain  Walker's  gun,  was 
ordered  to  take  position  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  front 
of  the  camp,  and  employ  the  attention  of  the  Mor- 
mons at  their  breastwork, — and  from  which  they 
kept  a  constant  fire,  while  the  main  body  of  the 
army  wheeled  to  the  left,  passed  down  across  the 


3*4  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

La  Harpe  road  through  a  cornfield,  thence  across 
Mulholland  street,  thence  bore  to  the  right  through 
an  orchard,  and  on  to  the  city.  So  soon  as  the 
army  was  fairly  under  way,  Captain  Newton's  com- 
pany, and  the  piece  of  artillery  with  it,  were 
brought  up  in  the  rear.  This  march  was  made 
directly  across  and  in  face  of  the  enemy's  fire,  and 
within  good  cannon  range,  yet  not  a  man  was  in- 
jured. 

"Arriving  on  the  verge  of  the  city,  the  army,  all 
except  the  artillery  and  flankers,  was  halted,  while 
the  latter  advanced  and  commenced  an  attack  on 
the  Mormon  works,  from  which  they  had  been  firing 
during  the  whole  time  of  the  march.  A  hot  fire 
was  kept  up  by  the  artillery  from  both  sides  for 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes.  During  this  time,  the 
Mormons  did  no  execution  on  our  ranks,  while  the 
balls  from  our  cannon  rattled  most  terrifically 
through  the  houses  in  the  city.* 

6 '  At  length  a  fire  of  small  arms  was  heard  from 
some  Mormons  who  had  taken  position  on  the  ex- 
treme left  in  a  cornfield.  Immediately,  Colonel 
Smith's  regiment  was  ordered  up  and  drove  the 
assailants  before  them.  The  second  regiment 
was  in  the  mean  time  ordered  up  to  the  support 
of  the  artillery.  By  this  time  the  action  became 
general. 

"  The  Mormons  were  in  squads  in  their  houses, 
and  poured  in  their  shots  with  the  greatest  rapidity. 
Our  men  were  also  divided  off  into  squads,  took 
shelter  where  they  could  best  find  it,  and  returned 
the  fire  with  great  energy.  The  greater  part  of  the 
first  regiment  had  no  better  shelter  than  a  cornfield 
and  a  worm  fence ;  the  second  regiment  was  open 
ground,  having  but  two  or  three  small  houses  to 

*  This  picture  must  have  been  considerably  overdrawn ;  as  it 
was  subsequently  ascertained  that  comparatively  few  nouses 
had  been  injured. 


A   BATTLE,  A   TREATY— THE  END.       355 

cover   the   whole   body ;  while   our   artillery  was 
entirely  exposed. 

The  firing  of  small*  arms  was  continued  for  half 
an  hour,  during  which  time  our  men  steadily  ad- 
vanced, driving  the  enemy,  in  many  instances,  from 
their  shelter.  For  a  short  time  their  fire  was  almost 
entirely  silenced ;  but,  unfortunately,  at  this  junc- 
ture our  cannon  balls  were  exhausted ;  and  our 
commander,  deeming  it  imprudent  to  risk  a  further 
advance  without  these  necessary  instruments,  or- 
dered the  men  to  be  drawn  off.  This  was  done  in 
good  order,  and  in  slow  time  the  whole  force  returned 
to  the  camp. 

In  this  action  we  had  about  five  hundred  men  en- 
gaged, and  four  pieces  of  artillery  ;  two  hundred  men 
and  one  piece  of  artillery  having  been  left  at  the  camp 
for  its  protection.  Our  loss  in  this  engagement, 
as  well  as  the  subsequent  skirmishes,  will  be  found 
in  the  report  of  the  surgeons  hereto  appended. 
Most  of  our  men  throughout  the  action  displayed 
remarkable  coolness  and  determination,  and,  we  have 
no  doubt,  did  great  execution.  We  believe  if  our 
cannon  balls  had  held  out  ten  minutes  longer,  we 
should  have  taken  the  city ;  but  when  the  action 
commenced,  we  had  but  sixty-one  balls.  The  battle 
lasted  from  the  time  the  first  feint  was  made  until 
our  men  were  drawn  off — an  hour  and  a  quarter. 
Probably  there  is  not  on  record  an  instance  of  a 
longer-continued  militia  fight .  (  !  ) 

The  Mormons  stood  their  ground  manfully ;  but 
from  the  little  execution  done  by  them,  we  infer 
that  they  were  not  very  cool  or  deliberate.  Their 
loss  is  uncertain,  as  they  have  taken  especjal  pains 
to  conceal  the  number  of  their  dead  and  wounded. 
They  acknowledged  but  three  dead  and  ten  wounded. 
Among  the  killed  is  their  master  spirit,  Captain 
Anderson,  of  the  fifteen-shooter  rifle  company.  Their 
force  in  the  fight  was  from  three  to  four  hundred. 


356  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

They  had  all  the  advantages,  having  selected  their 
own  positions ;  and  we  were  obliged  to  take  such 
as  we  could  get.  Sometimes  our  men  could  get  no 
cover,  and  the  artillery  was  all  the  time  exposed, 
while  theirs  was  under  cover. 

"  On  Saturday,  after  the  battle,  the  Anties  com- 
menced intrenching  their  camp,  and  on  Sunday 
made  it  secure  against  the  shots  of  the  enemy's 
cannon,  which  frequently  reached  or  passed  over  it. 
On  Sunday,  the  Anties  cut  part  of  the  corn  from 
the  field,  on  the  left  of  the  La  Harpe  road,  to  pre- 
vent the  Mormons  from  taking  cover  in  it.  While 
thus  engaged,  the  Mormons  fired  on  the  guard 
which  was  protecting  the  corn-cutters.  The  fire 
was  returned  by  the  guard,  and  kept  up  at  long 
distance  for  two  or  three  hours.  In  this  skirmish 
one  of  our  men  was  badly  wounded.  The  loss  of  the 
enemy  is  not  known.  On  Monday,  a  party  of 
Mormons  crept  up  through  the  weeds  to  a  piece  of 
high  ground,  and  fired  at  our  camp,  wounding  three 
men,  none  seriously.  Their  balls  were  nearly 
spent  when  they  struck.  On  Sunday  morning,  after 
the  battle,  a  powder  plot  was  dug  up  on  the 
La  Harpe  road,  which  the  army  was  expected  to 
pass.  On  Wednesday,  another  was  dug  up  on  the 
same  road  nearer  the  city.  Several  of  these  plots 
were  discovered  near  the  Temple,  and  in  other  parts 
of  the  city." 

The  surgeons  of  Colonel  Brockman's  force  re- 
ported twelve  men  wounded,  as  the  result  of  the 
conflict,  among  whom  was  Captain  Smith,  of  the 
Carthage  Greys,  in  command  of  the  First  Regiment. 
One  of  the  wounded  died  ten  hours  after  the  fi^ht. 

o 

It  is  believed  that  all  the  rest  recovered.     Of  the 


A   BATTLE,  A   TEEATY—THE  END.       357 

loss  on  the  other  side,  no  certain  account  was  ever 
obtained.* 

The  fighting  was  over  and  the  war  was  at  an 
end.  On  Tuesday  morning,  the  15th,  while  Colonel 
Brockman  and  his  force  were  still  in  canip,  a  depu- 
tation from  one  hundred  citizens  of  Quincy  arrived 
with  proposals  for  mediation.  A  similar  deputation 
from  the  same  source  was  sent  into  Nauvob  to  con- 
fer with  Major  Clifford,  the  commander  there.  A 
truce  was  agreed  on,  and  after  a  long  and  volumi- 
nous correspondence,  a  treaty — a  final  one — was 
concluded,  which  we  can  state  best  in  its  own 
words : 

"  1.  THE  CITY  OF  NAUVOO  WILL  SURRENDER. 
The  force  of  Colonel  Brockman  to  enter  and  take 
possession  of  the  city  to-morrow,  the  17th  of  Sep- 
tember, at  3  o'clock  P.  M. 

"  2.  The  arms  to  be  delivered  to  the  Quincy 
Committee,  to  be  returned  on  the  crossing  of  the 
river. 

"3.  The  Quincy  Committee  pledge  themselves 
to  use  their  influence  for  the  protection  of  persons 
and  property  from  all  violence  ;  and  the  officers  of 

*  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  wounded  on  the  part  of 
the  Anti-Mormons,  in  the  battle  on  Saturday : 

Humphreys,  of  Fountain  Green,  died  twelve  hours  after  the 
battle. 

Thompson,  of  same  place,  wounded  in  arm. 

Colonel  Smith,  of  Carthage,  in  the  throat. 

Mr.  Welch,  of  McDonough  County, in  the  leg. 

George  Weir,  of  Warsaw,  in  the  neck. 

Mr.  Kennedy,  of  Augusta,  shoulder. 

Mr.  Rogers,  of  Ursa,  Adams  County. 

In  the  skirmish  on  Sunday,  Mr.  Winsor  (an  attorney  of 
Nauvoo)  was  wounded  badly.  In  the  camp,  on  Monday,  Dr. 
Geiger,  of  Nauvoo,  Mr.  Crooks,  of  Chili,  and  Mr.  Stimson,  of 
Brown  County.  Three  of  the  above  were  merely  scratched. 


358  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

the  camp  and  the  men  pledge  themselves  to  protect 
all  persons  and  property  from  violence. 

"  4.  The  sick  and  helpless  to  be  protected  and 
treated  with  humanity. 

"  5.  The  Mormon  population  of  the  city  to  leave 
the  State,  or  disperse,  as  soon  as  they  can  cross  the 
river. 

"  6.  Five  men,  including  the  Trustees  of  the 
Church,  and  five  Clerks,  with  their  families  (Wil- 
liam Pickett  not  one  of  the  number)  to  be  permitted 
to  remain  in  the  city  for  the  disposition  of  property, 
free  from  all  molestation  and  personal  violence. 

"  7.  Hostilities  to  cease  immediately,  and  ten 
men  of  the  Quincy  Committee  to  enter  the  city  in 
the  execution  of  their  duty,  as  soon  as  they  think 
proper. 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  subscribe  to,  ratify  and 
confirm,  the  foregoing  Articles  of  Accommodation, 
Treaty,  and  Agreement,  the  day  and  year  first 
above  written. 

"  Signed  by, 

"ALMON  W.  BABBITT, 
JOSEPH  L.  HEYWOOD, 
JOHN  S.  FULLMER, 

Trustees  in  Trust  for  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints. 
ANDREW  JOHNSON, 

Chairman  of  Committee  of  Quincy. 
THOMAS  S.  BROCKMAN, 

Commander  Posse. 
JOHN  CARLIN, 

Special  Constable" 

At  this  remote  period,  it  is  hard  to  discover  the 
necessity  for  this  expedition  and  consequent  loss  of 
life  and  property,  even  on  the  ground  for  which  it 
was  professedly  undertaken.  Major  Warren  had 


A   BATTLE,  A   TREATY-TEE   END.       359 

repeatedly  reported  from  Nauvoo  that  the  Mormons 
were  leaving  in  great  numbers,  and  apparently  as 
fast  as  they  were  able,  and  that  most  of  the  leaders 
had  gone.  That  it  was  for  arresting  Pickett  was 
probably  its  original  purpose  only ;  but  that  this 
purpose  was  lost  sight  of  before  the  close,  is  proven 
by  the  fact  that  no  provision  was  made  for  his  arrest 
in  the  treaty,  and  no  mention  made  of  him  except 
to  exclude  him  from  remaining  in  the  city.  That 
this  should  have  been  so  is  a  curious  fact,  in  view 
of  the  sharp  correspondence  between  Major  Parker 
and  the  officer  holding  the  writ.  The  best  excuse 
for  the  raid  that  can  be  given,  perhaps,  is,  that  it 
was  known  that  the  followers  of  Kigdon  and  Wil- 
liam Smith  were  opposing  the  westward  movement, 
and  were  suspected  of  an  intention  to  remain.  Some 
of  the  adherents  of  the  Twelve  may  have  had  a 
similar  purpose,  but  of  this  we  have  no  proof. 

Soon  after  the  agreement  was  signed  and  ex- 
changed, Major  Clifford  gave  orders  for  the  with- 
drawal of  the  force  under  his  command.  By  three 
o'clock  P.  M.  the  next  day,  the  17th,  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  Mormon  population  had  crossed  the 
Mississippi  into  Iowa.  This  unexpected  haste  was, 
doubtless,  due  to  the  fear  entertained  that  if  found 
in  the  city  on  the  arrival  of  the  foe,  they  would  be 
subjected  to  insult  and  violence. 

At  three  o'clock,  Brockman's  force  was  put  in 


360  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

motion,  marched  through  the  city,  and  encamped 
near  the  south  end.  On  Friday  the  whole  force, 
with  the  exception  of  one  hundred  men,  was  dis- 
banded and  sent  home.  The  new  citizens  organized 
a  company  of  one  hundred,  and  the  two  combined 
acted  as  guard  to  the  city. 

But  the  troubles  were  not  yet  over.  The  force 
left  as  guard,  not  satisfied  with  the  withdrawal  of 
the  Mormons,  dealt  pretty  roughly  with  some  of  the 
most  obnoxious  new  citizens,  even  to  driving  them 
from  the  city.  These  made  appeal  to  the  Governor 
for  protection.  That  functionary  sent  Major  Bray- 
man  from  Springfield  to  investigate  and  report. 
His  representations  were  such  that  the  Governor 
again  decided  to  send  a  force  into  the  county.  He 
recruited  about  one  hundred  men,  with  which  he 
entered  the  county  on  the  28th  of  October  and 
remained  till  the  14th  of  November,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Springfield,  leaving  part  of  his  posse  under 
command  of  Major  Weber.  These  forces  remained 
in  the  county  inactive  until  Governor  French, 
elected  to  succeed  Governor  Ford,  withdrew  them 
on  the  12th  of  December  and  addressed  a  short 
note  to  the  people  of  the  county,  exhorting  to  peace 
and  quietness. 

And  now,  in  looking  back  upon  the  eight  years 
during  which  that  infatuated  people  resided  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  and  after  more  than  forty  years 


A    BATTLE,  A   TREATY— THE   END.       361 

since  they  took  their  departure  into  the  wilderness, 
and  men's  angry  passions  have  had  time  to  subside, 
it  is  easy  to  see  that  they  were  not  the  only  evil- 
doers ;  that  much  wrong  was  done,  not  alone  by 
them,  but  by  those  who  opposed  them. 

Mormonism  has  been  progressive  from  the  days 
of  its  inception.  Originating  in  evil,  it  has, 
through  the  lifetime  of  its  prophet  and  more  daring 
successor,  continued  to  add  evil  dogmas  to  its 
creed,  until  it  has  become  a  monster  in  Utah.  It 
has  long  since  ceased  to  be  a  mere  county  or  State 
question.  Ever  since  the  death  of  the  prophet,  and 
that  later  day  when  his  followers  set  their  bleeding 
feet  on  the  arid  plains  of  Utah,  it  has  become  one 
of  national  importance,  no  longer  to  be  dealt  with 
by  a  "  mob  "  or  by  "  border  ruffians,"  but  by  the 
national  judgment.  Let  us  pray  heaven  that  the 
NATION  may  be  successful  in  bringing  it  to  a  just 
and  proper  solution ! 

How  rapid  and  remarkable  is  the  growth  of 
evil !  Fifty  years  ago,  among  the  fertile  vales  of 
Western  New  York,  the  absurd  and  ridiculous  pre- 
tence of  a  Divine  Mission,  was  made  by  an  igno- 
rant and  obscure  young  man — made  at  the  outset, 
with  no  othei  view  thaa  to  gull  the  credulous. 
From  this  silly  claim,  as  a  root,  has  grown  this 
Upas-like  tree,  spreading  its  branches  far  and 
wide  and  sending  its  malarial  influence  through- 


362  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

out  the  world.  Ignorance,  Superstition,  Fanati- 
cism— men's  evil  passions  and  propensities — have 
been  the  food  which  has  fed  it  to  its  present 
dangerous  proportions.  What  will  check  or  de- 
stroy it  ? 


EXODl'ti,    DESERT,  AND    WILDERNESS.    363 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

THE    EXODUS,  THE    DESERT,  AND    WILDERNESS. 

BRIGHAM'S  EVIL  CHOICE — EN  ROUTE  WESTWARD — KANES- 
VILLE — "  WINTER  QUARTERS  " — COLONEL  KANE'S  DESCRIP- 
TION  —  MISSOURI  REPUBLICAN  CORRESPONDENT  —  THE 
MORMON  BATTALION  —  BRIGHAM  ASSUMES  SUPREME 
POWER — PUSHES  ON  TO  SALT  LAKE  AND  RETURNS — MAIN 
BODY  REACHES  THE  VALLEY  —  STAKE  PLANTED — THE 
"  STATE  OF  DESERET." 

THEN  was  Brigham  Young's  grand  opportunity 
for  good.  Had  he,  when  forced  to  leave  Nauvoo 
with  his  followers,  been  honest  and  magnan- 
imous enough  to  have  said  to  them :  * '  Go  your 
ways,  brethren  ;  disperse  among  the  people,  where- 
ever  you  can  find  homes  for  your  families ;  lead 
honest  lives  ;  obey  the  laws.  Carry  with  you  all 
your  veneration  for  the  new  Gospel  and  preach  it 
to  the  world — God  wills  it !  " — he  would  have  shown 
himself  worthy  to  lead.  Such  was  their  faith  in  him 
that  he  would  have  been  obeyed.  Instead,  he  chose 
to  have  them  follow  him  into  an  unknown  wilder- 
ness ;  poor,  sick,  and  distressed ;  famished  and 
hungry ;  through  rain  and  storm  and  trackless 
snows  ;  over  mountains  and  sandy  desert  plains — 
all  for  what  ?  That  he  and  a  few  chosen  associates 
might  lead  pampered  lives.  No  higher  motive 


364  THE  PROPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 

governed  him.  On  the  part  of  the  many  it  was  a 
sublime  heroism  ;  for  the  few  there  is  no  apology ; 
it  was  infamy. 

In  a  previous  chapter,  the  beginnings  of  this  un- 
precedented journey  have  been  recorded.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1846,  a  council  of  the  chiefs  was  held  in  the 
city,  at  which  it  was  decided  to  start  out  toward 
the  setting  sun,  but  with  no  objective  point  fully 
determined  on.  Oregon  and  California  were  known 
to  exist  on  the  peaceful  shores  of  the  broad  Pacific ; 
but  all  that  intermediate  region  included  now  in 
the  States  of  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  and 
Nevada,  and  the  half-dozen  territories  beyond,  was 
one  vast  terra  incognita.  SOMEWHEKE,  in  this  an- 
known  region  they  would  find  resting-places — or 
graves.  Alas !  many  of  them  found  the  latter, 
scattered  far  thicker  than  milestones  along  the 
dreary  route. 

A  pioneer  band  was  early  sent  forward.  It  was 
provided  with  means  for  opening  roads,  preparing 
shelter,  and  planting  crops  for  those  who  were  to 
follow.  During  the  summer  and  fall  (1846)  the 
main  body,  numbering  several  thousand  souls,  had 
reached  the  Missouri  rivar,  across  the  then  territory 
of  Iowa,  and  almost  due  west  from  Nauvoo.  A 
portion  of  them  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
and  the  colony  there  planted  was  called  Kanesville 
— now  the  littlecity  of  CouncilBluffs.  Astill  larger 


EXODUS,    DESERT,  AND    WILDERNESS.    365 

body  crossed  the  Missouri  and  established  '  <  winter 
quarters,"  and  other  settlements  in  the  vicinity  of 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Omaha,  in  the  State  of 
Nebraska.  Kanesville  was  named  in  honor  of 
Colonel  Thomas  L.  Kane,  of  Philadelphia,  a  brother 
to  the  renowned  Arctic  explorer ;  a  gentleman  who 
took  great  interest  in  behalf  of  these  suffering  people . 
He  afterwards  delivered  lectures  in  the  East  on  this 
Mormon  exodus,  and  before  the  Historical  Society  of 
Philadelphia,  which — although  some  of  his  facts  are 
much  distorted  and  exaggerated — in  glowing  and  elo- 
quent terms  depicted  the  sufferings  of  the  fugitives. 
Portions  of  it  are  reproduced  here.  That  lecture 
ought  to  be  read  and  studied  by  every  body  of 
people  who  contemplate  the  banishment  of  whole 
communities,  as  t  punishment  for  the  crimes  of  their 
leaders.  His  visi1"  to  Nauvoo  just  after  the  sur- 
render, is  thus  desc  ibed  in  part  : 

«...  It  was  a  natural  impulse  to  visit 
this  inviting  region.  I  procured  a  skiff  [at  Mont- 
rose  opposite]  and  rowing  across  the  river,  landed 
at  the  chief  wharf  of  the  city.  No  one  met  me 
there.  I  looked,  and  saw  no  one.  I  could  hear  no 
one  move ;  though  the  quiet  everywhere  was  such 
that  I  heard  the  flies  buzz,  and  the  water-ripples 
break  against  the  shallow  of  the  beach.  I  walked 
through  the  solitary  streets.  The  town  lay  as  in  a 
dream,  under  some  deadening  spell  of  loneliness, 
from  which  I  almost  feared  to  wake  it ;  for  plainly 
it  had  not  slept  long.  There  was  no  grass  growing 
up  in  the  paved  ways ;  the  rains  had  not  entirely 
washed  away  the  prints  of  dusty  footsteps. 


366          THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

"Yet  I  went  about  unchecked.  I  went  into 
empty  workshops,  rope-walks  and  smithies.  The 
spinner's  wheel  was  idle ;  the  carpenter  had  gone 
from  his  work-bench  and  shavings,  his  unfinished 
sash  and  casings.  Fresh  bark  was  in  the  tanner's 
vat,  and  the  fresh-chopped  light-wood  stood  piled 
against  the  baker's  oven.  The  blacksmith's  shop 
was  cold;  but  his  coal-heap  and  ladling  pool,  and 
crooked  water-horn,  were  all  there,  as  if  he  had  just 
gone  off  for  a  holiday.  No  work-people  anywhere 
looked  to  know  my  errand.  If  I  went  into  the 
gardens,  clinking  the  wicket-latch  loudly  after  me, 
to  pull  the  marigolds,  heart's-ease  and  lady-slip- 
pers, and  draw  a  drink  from  the  water-sodden  well- 
bucket  and  its  noisy  chain ;  or,  knocking  off  with 
my  stick  the  tall,  heavy-headed  dahlias  and  sun- 
flowers;  hunted  over  the  beds  for  cucumbers  or 
love-apples, — no  one  called  out  to  me  from  an  open 
window,  or  dog  sprang  forward  to  bark  an  alarm. 
I  could  have  supposed  the  people  hid  in  their 
houses,  but  the  doors  were  unfastened,  and  I  had 
to  tread  tip-toe,  as  if  walking  down  the  aisle  of  a 
country  church,  to  avoid  rousing  irreverent  echoes 
from  the  naked  floors. 

"  Only  two  portions  of  the  city  seemed  to  sug- 
gest the  import  of  this  mysterious  solitude.  On 
the  southern  suburb,  the  houses  looking  out  upon 
the  country  showed  by  their  splintered  wood-work 
and  walls  battered  to  the  foundation,  that  they  had 
lately  been  the  mark  of  a  destructive  cannonade. 
And  in  and  around  the  splendid  Temple,  which  had 
been  the  chief  object  of  my  admiration,  armed  men 
were  barracked,  surrounded  by  their  stacks  of 
musketry  and  pieces  of  heavy  ordnance.  They 
challenged  me  to  render  an  account  of  myself,  and 
why  I  had  the  temerity  to  cross  the  water  without 
a  written  permit  from  a  leader  of  their  band. 

«  <  Though  these  men  were  generally  more  or  lesa 


EXODUS,    DESERT,    AND   WILDERNESS    367 

under  the  influence  of  ardent  spirits,  after  I  had 
explained  myself  as  a  passing  stranger,  they  seemed 
anxious  to  gain  my  good  opinion.  They  told  the 
story  of  the  Dead  City  ;  that  it  had  been  a  notable 
manufacturing  and  commercial  mart,  sheltering  over 
20,000  persons  ;*  that  they  had  waged  war  with 
its  inhabitants  for  several  years,  and  had  been 
finally  successful  only  a  few  days  before  my  visit, 
in  an  action  fought  in  front  of  the  ruined  suburb ; 
after  which  they  had  driven  them  forth  at  the  point 
of  the  sword,  etc. 

"  They  permitted  me  also  to  ascend  into  the 
steeple  [of  the  Temple]  to  see  where  it  had  been 
lightning-struck  on  the  Sabbath  before, f  and  to 
look  out  east  and  south  on  wasted  farms,  like  those 
I  had  seen  near  the  city,  extending  till  they  were 
lost  in  the  distance.  Here,  in  the  face  of  the  pure 
day,  close  to  the  scar  of  the  Divine  wrath  left  by 
the  thunderbolt,  were  fragments  of  food,  cruses  of 
liquor,  and  broken  drinking  vessels,  with  a  brass 
drum  and  a  steamboat  signal  bell ,  of  which  I  after- 
wards learned  the  use  with  pain. 

* « It  was  after  night-fall  when  I  was  ready  to  cross 
the  river  on  my  return.  The  wind  had  freshened 
since  the  sunset,  and  the  water  beating  roughly 
into  my  little  boat,  I  hedged  higher  up  the  stream 
than  the  point  I  had  left  in  the  morning,  and 
landed  where  a  faint  glimmering  light  invited  me 
to  steer. 

"Here  among  the  dock  and  rushes,  sheltered 
only  by  the  darkness,  without  roof  between  them 
and  the  sky,  I  came  upon  a  crowd  of  several  hun- 

*  If  they  told  him  this  they  greatly  exaggerated.  The  city  of 
Nauvoo  never  contained  a  resident  population  of  much  over 
half  that  number. 

t  A  fact ;  the  Temple  was  struck  by  lightning  in  a  storm  on 
a  Sunday  while  in  possession  of  the  rioters ;  but  little  damage 
done. 


368  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

dred  human  creatures,  whom  my  movements  moved 
from  uneasy  slumber  upon  the  ground. 

66  Passing  these  on  my  way  to  the  light,  I  found 
it  came  from  a  tallow  candle  in  a  paper  funnel 
shade,  such  as  is  used  by  street  venders  of  apples 
and  pea-nuts,  and  which,  flaming  and  guttering 
away  in  the  bleak  air  off  the  water,  shone  flicker- 
ingly  on  the  emaciated  features  of  a  man  in  the  last 
stages  of  a  bilious  remittent  fever.  They  had 
done  their  best  for  him.  Over  his  head  was  some- 
thing like  a  tent,  nlade  of  a  sheet  or  two,  and  he 
rested  on  a  but  partially  ripped  open  old  straw  mat- 
tress, with  a  hair  sofa-cushion  for  a  pillow.  His 
gaping  jaw  and  glazing  eye  told  how  short  a  time 
he  would  monopolize  these  luxuries ;  though  a 
seemingly  bewildered  and  excited  person,  who 
might  have  been  his  wife,  seemed  to  find  hope  in 
occasionally  forcing  him  to  swallow  awkwardly  sips 
of  the  tepid  river  water,  from  a  burned  and  battered 
bitter-smelling  tin  coffee-pot.  Those  who  knew 
better,  had  furnished  the  apothecary  he  needed — a 
toothless  old  bald  head,  whose  manner  had  the 
repulsive  dulness  of  a  man  familiar  with  death 
scenes.  He,  so  long  as  I  remained,  mumbled  in 
his  patient's  ear  a  monotonous  and  melancholy 
prayer,  between  the  pauses  of  which  I  heard  the 
hiccup,  and  the  sobbing  of  two  little  girls  who  were 
sitting  upon  a  piece  of  drift-wood  outside. 

"  Dreadful,  indeed,  was  the  suffering  of  these 
forsaken  beings ;  bowed  and  cramped  by  cold  and 
sunburn,  as  each  dreary  day  and  night  dragged  on, 
they  were,  almost  all  of  them,  the  crippled  victims 
of  disease.  They  were  there  because  they  had  no 
homes,  nor  hospital,  nor  poor-house  to  offer  them 
any.  They  could  not  satisfy  the  cravings  of  their 
sick ;  they  had  not  bread  to  quiet  the  fractious 
hunger-cries  of  their  children.  Mothers  and  babes, 
daughters  and  grand-parents  alike,  were  bivouacked 


EXODUS,   DESERT,   AND   WILDERNESS.    369 

in  tatters,  wanting  even  covering  to  comfort  those 
whom  the  sick  shiver  of  fever  was  searching  to  the 
marrow. 

"  These  were  Mormons  in  Lee  County,  Iowa, 
in  the  fourth  week  of  the  month  of  September,  in 
the  year  of  Our  Lord,  1846.  The  city — it  was 
Nauvoo,  Illinois.  The  Mormons  were  the  owners 
of  that  city,  and  the  smiling  country  around.  And 
those  who  had  stopped  their  plows  ;  who  had  si- 
lenced their  hammers,  their  axes,  their  shuttles,  and 
their  work-shop  wheels ;  those  who  had  put  out 
their  fires,  who  had  eaten  their  food,  spoiled  their 
orchards,  and  trampled  under  foot  their  thousands 
of  acres  of  unharvested  bread, — these  were  the  keep- 
ers of  their  dwellings,  the  carousers  in  their  Tem- 
ple, and  wrhose  drunken  riot  insulted  the  ears  of 
their  dying. 

"  ...  They  were,  all  told,  not  more  than 
six  hundred  and  forty  persons  who  were  thus  lying 
on  the  river  flats.  But  the  Mormons  in  Nauvoo 
and  its  dependencies  had  been  numbered  the  year 
before  at  over  twenty  thousand.  Where  were 
they?  They  had  last  been  seen,  carrying  in  mourn- 
ful train,  their  sick  and  wounded,  halt  and  blind, 
to  disappear  behind  the  western  horizon,  pursuing 
the  phantom  of  another  home." 

Another  account  of  the  appearance  of  the  city,  is 
thus  given  by  a  correspondent  of  the  Missouri  Re- 
publican : 

A  WEEK  IN  NAUVOO — VIEW  FROM  THE  TEMPLE — 
DESOLATE  APPEARANCE  or  THE  CITY — PROG- 
RESS or  EVENTS,  ETC.,  ETC. 

WARSAW,  ILLINOIS,  Sept.  29th,  1846. 
66  Since  my  last  Tetter  I  have  spent  a  week  in 
Nauvoo,  and  can  attest  the  truth  of  the  remarks  of 


370  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

another  of  your  correspondents,  in  regard  to  the 
desolate  appearance  of  the  city. 

"  I  arrived  there  on  Monday  evening  of  last  week. 
On  Tuesday  morning  I  took  a  stroll  through  a  por- 
tion of  the  now  deserted  streets,  and  for  miles,  I 
may  safely  say,  I  passed  nothing  but  tenantless 
houses  ;  some  of  them  closed  and  barred,  and  others 
with  doors  wide  open,  as  if  left  in  haste.  All  along 
the  city,  for  miles,  wherever  I  went,  might  be  seen 
on  the  doors,  or  on  the  walls,  some  notice  that  the 
tenement  was  for  sale,  or  for  rent.  Every  thing 
indicates  that  Mormonism  is  for  ever  extinct  in 
Illinois.  As  a  people  they  are  completely  subdued. 
Not  one,  in  my  opinion,  will  ever  try  to  regain  a 
foothold  in  Hancock.  They  are  selling  their  little 
property  at  very  low  rates,  indeed,  almost  giving 
it  away — for  the  sake  of  raising  means  to  take  them 
away.  Horses,  cows,  oxen,  and  wagons,  are  in 
great  demand.  Many  design  to  join  the  expedition, 
which  has  gone  in  advance,  to  the  wilderness  of  the 
Far  West,  while  many  others  have  already  left  for 
points  up  and  down  the  river. 

"  There  are  many  instances  of  individual  distress 
and  suffering,  and  how  could  it  be  otherwise  in  a 
case  like  this?  Many,  doubtless,  have  left  the  city 
with  nothing  to  live  upon  a  day  in  advance.  Many 
have  crossed  the  river,  who  were  entirely  destitute 
of  the  means  of  sustaining  their  families  before,  and 
who  now  have  added  to  their  former  miseries  the 
want  of  a  house  to  live  in,  or  a  roof  to  shelter  them 
from  the  *  peltings  of  the  pitiless  storm.'  Many 
have  nothing  left  them  in  the  wide  world  but  the 
little  hut  which  they  tenanted  in  the  city,  and  the 
small  patch  of  ground  upon  which  it  stands,  and  for 
which,  probably,  they  will  not  be  able  to  realize 
the  sum  of  twenty  dollars.  I  was  present  myself 
at  the  sale  of  two  lots  of  ground,  with  a  log  house 
and  a  few  fruit  trees  on  each,  for  one  of  which  the 


EXODUS,    DESEET,  AND    WILDERNESS.    371 

purchaser  paid  a  horse,  and  for  the  other  a  cow, 
and  the  holders  seemed  glad  to  get  away  with  so 
much.  Low  as  this,  doubtless,  seemed  to  them, 
who  had  probably  paid  $200  or  $300  each ;  yet  the 
purchaser  had  better  kept  his  horse  and  cow.  If 
all  the  lots  in  Nauvoo  could  be  bought  at  the  same 
rate,  I  would  consider  them  dearly  paid  for. 

"  During  my  stay  I  took  several  ocasions  to 
look  at  the  city  and  surrounding  country  from  the 
top  of  the  Temple.  It  is,  indeed,  a  grand  and  im- 
posing scene,  and  presents  the  most  magnificent 
view  to  be  found  any  where  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi.  There  is  but  one  point  on  the  river 
that  exceeds  it  in  beauty,  in  my  opinion,  and  that 
is  Rock  Island.  Ten  years  ago,  when  all  that  part 
of  the  city  which  lies  east  of  the  Temple  was  cov- 
ered with  forest  trees,  and  little  patches  of  oak  and 
other  timber  dotted  the  flat  part  of  the  city  nearest 
the  river  bank,  and  the  little  town  of  Commerce, 
with  its  five  or  six  houses  huddled  together  on  the 
bank,  it  presented  a  very  different  aspect  from  what 
it  does  at  present.  Then  it  presented  nature  in  all 
her  loveliness  :  the  placid  and  broad  current  of  the 
Mississippi,  its  islands  and  sand  bars — the  far- 
reaching  prairies  of  Iowa — the  bold  bluff  which 
runs  in  semi-circular  form  around  the  town  of  Mont- 
rose  (then  Fort  Des  Moines) ,  with  here  and  there 
a  wreath  of  ascending  smoke,  to  tell  the  habitation 
of  some  settler — that  is  the  picture  it  presented  ten 
or  twelve  years  ago.  But  now  how  changed  is  the 
scene  !  What  a  mutation  it  has  undergone  !  And 
yet,  it  is  now  a  thousand  times  more  desolate.  The 
only  thing  I  noticed  which  had  undergone  no  change 
since  I  was  familiar  with  it  in  1836  and  '7,  was 
Cutler's  Grave.  It  was  enclosed  with  a  stone  wall, 
and  stood  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river  near  the 
road  which  descended  the  hill  from  where  the  Tem- 
ple now  stands — and  there  it  is  yet,  standing  in  the 


372  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

midst  of  all  this  desolation,  looking  the  same  as 
it  did  ere  the  hand  of  man  had  wrought  all  this 
change  around  it.  GEORGE  Y.  CUTLER  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  in  Hancock  County,  and  one  of 
its  first  county  commissioners — dying,  he  was  buried 
at  this  spot. 

' '  I  took  occasion  to  ascertain  as  near  as  possible 
the  number  of  houses  in  the  city.  From  my  posi- 
tion on  the  Temple,  I  could  count  a  large  portion  of 
the  city  ;  and  from  actual  count,  and  estimate  based 
upon  count,  I  think  there  are  at  least  two  thousand 
houses  in  the  city  proper,  and  in  the  suburbs  five 
hundred  more — making  in  all  two  thousand  five 
hundred  houses.  About  one-half  of  these  are  mere 
shanties,  built  some  of  logs,  some  of  poles  plas- 
tered over,  and  some  framed.  Of  the  remaining 
portion — say  twelve  hundred  houses — all  are  tol- 
erably fit  residences,  and  one-half  are  good  brick 
or  frame  houses.  There  are  probably  five  hun- 
dred brick  houses  in  the  city,  most  of  which  are 
good  buildings,  and  some  are  elegant  and  hand- 
somely finished  residences,  such  as  would  adorn 
any  city. 

"  Of  these  two  thousand  five  hundred  houses,  I 
think  about  one-twelfth  are  tenanted — some  by 
Mormons  who  have  not  yet  got  away,  the  remainder 
by  Anti-Mormons,  new  or  old  settlers,  who  have 
been  permitted  to  stay. 

"  Col.  GEDDES,  of  Fountain  Green,  in  this  county, 
was  left  in  command  of  a  small  force,  when  the 
army  was  disbanded,  and  has  been  in  command 
during  the  past  week.  He  has  now  returned  to 
his  home,  leaving  twenty  or  thirty  men  at  the  Tem- 
ple, under  command  of  Major  McAuLEY  and  Mr. 
BRATTLE.  A  small  force  will  probably  remain  in 
the  city  as  long  as  the  Mormons  remain  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river. 

"  No  event  of  importance  has  transpired  during 


EXODUS,    DESEET,  AND   WILDERNESS.    373 

the  week.  A  certain  Dr.  OLIVER  DRESSER,  who 
hails  from  Maine,  and  who  was  somewhat  conspic- 
uous in  the  late  difficulties,  as  a  friend  and  com- 
panion of  PICKETT'S,  ventured  over  on  Wednesday 
from  the  other  side.  He  was  taken  into  custody 
and  kept  in  the  Temple  till  morning,  and  then 
marched  to  the  river  in  double  quick  time,  between 
two  files  of  men,  where  he  took  passage  for  Iowa. 
A  few  other  scenes  of  similar  character,  to  some  of 
which  the  ceremony  of  dipping  was  added,  is  all 
that  occurred  during  the  week,  of  an  exciting  char- 
acter. 

"  Several  cases  of  deep  distress,  mostly  lone 
widows  and  orphans,  came  to  my  knowledge  during 
my  stay.  In  all  of  these  aid  was  freely  given.  One 
of  these  cases  is  a  peculiar  one.  During  the 
preparations  previous  to  the  fight,  one  of  the  horse- 
men of  the  city,  while  riding  through  the  street, 
was  thrown  from  his  horse,  and  his  gun  discharged, 
the  ball  from  which  entered  the  body  of  a  Mrs. 
HAYWOOD,  who  was  in  the  door  at  the  time.  The 
lady  was  badly  wounded,  but  not  killed ;  and  was 
unable  to  be  removed  from  the  city,  at  the  time 
the  posse  entered. 

"  Her  husband  being  a  rabid  Mormon,  ran  over 
the  river,  leaving  her  and  a  young  child  on  this  side, 
where  she  fell  under  the  notice  of  the  Anti-Mor- 
mons. Provision  was  immediately  made  for  her 
support — medical  aid  procured,  and  every  care  and 
attention  bestowed  which  was  in  the  power  of  the 
commander  or  his  men.  She  is  now  doing  well, 
and  will,  in  a  few  days,  be  removed  to  some  place 
in  the  interior  until  she  will  be  able  to  go  to  her 
friends  in  Vermont — as  she  has  decided  not  to 
follow  her  husband  into  the  wilderness.  What 
renders  her  case  more  pitiable  is,  that  he  has  pos- 
session of  her  three  children,  all  under  ten  years 
old,  and  is  making  use  of  them  to  induce  her  to 


374=  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA 

alter  her  determination.  She  never  was  a  Mormons 
but  in  that  confidence  which  woman  only  repose, 
in  the  object  of  her  regard,  she  followed  him  to 
Nauvoo.  Since  that  time,  her  confidence  has  been 
shaken,  and  she  has  now  determined  never  to  cross 
the  Mississippi,  to  swell  the  tide  of  war  which  Mor- 
monisin  is  destined  to  carry  in  its  train.  This  acci- 
dent, which  she  doubtless  regarded  as  a  most  un- 
fortunate one,  I  regard  as  one  of  the  most  fortunate 
circumstances  of  her  life.  It  has  been  the  means 
of  separating  an  interesting  woman  from  a  brutal 
and  fanatical  husband  who  would  else  have  dragged 
her  into  the  far  wilderness  to  suffer  unutterable 
woes. 

"  Yours,  etc., 

«T.  G." 

The  enormity  and  folly  of  that  last  raid 
upon  Nauvoo,  and  the  unnecessary  severity  em- 
ployed in  the  treatment  of  the  fugitives,  has 
never  been  fully  estimated  by  those  engaged  in  or 
who  sanctioned  it.  Heaven  grant  that  henceforth 
and  forever,  no  county,  or  nine  counties,  or 
State,  may  adopt  this  method  of  dealing  with  its 
offenders  ! 

The  war  against  Mexico  was  about  to  begin. 
Our  government  proposed  to  make  the  conquest  of 
California,  then  a  Mexican  province.  While  en- 
camped near  the  Missouri  river,  an  agent  of  the 
government  appeared  at  headquarters,  with  orders 
to  enlist,  if  possible,  a  battalion  of  Mormon  volun- 
teers for  one  year,  to  be  employed  in  the  service 
against  California.  They  were  accordingly  enlisted, 


EXODUS,   DESERT,   AND   WILDERNESS.    375 

armed,  and  equipped,  and  performed  valuable  service 
in  that  memorable  campaign  ;  and  at  the  end  of  their 
enlisted  time,  were  honorably  discharged  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  Large  instalments  of  pay  were  made 
in  advance,  which  materially  aided  not  only  the 
battalion,  but  their  families  on  the  journey.  This 
enlistment  of  so  many  of  their  able-bodied  men,  of 
course  increased  the  hardships  and  dangers  to  be 
encountered  by  those  left  behind.  Although  the 
purpose  was  one  of  pure  sympathy  on  the  part  of 
the  administration,  intended  to  aid  the  refugees  in 
reaching  the  other  side  of  the  continent — and  was 
so  understood  and  accepted  by  the  Mormons  them- 
selves— yet,  in  later  years,  Brigham  Young  has 
made  it  the  occasion  of  great  complaint,  and  by  his 
misrepresentations  created  much  of  the  disloyal 
feeling  existing  in  Utah  against  the  government  of 
the  United  States. 

In  January,  1847,  Brigham  Young,  in  the 
wilderness,  issued  a  command  to  his  followers, 
which  he  claimed  to  be  a  revelation  from  the 
Lord.  It  had  reference  mainly  to  the  "  ways 
and  means  "  to  be  employed  in  organizing  com- 
panies, providing  teams  and  supplies,  and  prepar- 
ing the  way  for  the  perilous  expedition  across  the 
plains. 

The  6th  of  April,  the  day  for  the  annual  confer- 
ence, found  most  of  the  leaders  at  "  Winter  Quar- 


376  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

tors."  Soon  after  the  conference,  Brigham  started 
west  at  the  head  of  a  picked  company ;  and  after  a 
journey  of  three  months  and  a  half,  on  July  24th, 
came  in  sight  of  the  Great  Basin  in  which  Salt  Lake 
is  situated.  Its  beauty,  its  grandeur,  and  its  ap- 
parent fertility  and  advantages,  and  more  than  all, 
its  isolation  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  decided  him 
at  once  to  make  this  the  resting-place  of  his  Saints  ; 
to  build  in  this  valley,  so  invitingly  spread  out 
before  them,  a  new  Zion,  a  thousand  miles  away 
from  civilization,  where  the  heavy  hand  of  oppres- 
sion could  not  reach  them. 

They  descended  into  the  valley ;  encampments 
were  made,  the  city  located,  the  soil  upturned,  and 
seed  sown,  and  active  preparation  made  for  plant- 
ing a  colony  early  the  next  season.  This  done, 
the  most  of  them  returned  to  the  Missouri  river, 
where  their  families  and  other  large  numbers  had 
been  left,  which  they  reached  about  the  1st  of  No- 
vember. 

In  the  spring  of  1848,  a  vital  change  was  effected 
in  the  organization  of  the  church.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  after  the  death  of  the  prophet,  and  during 
the  struggle  for  the  succession  at  Nauvoo,  in  order 
to  circumvent  Rigdon  and  Patriarch  William  Smith, 
it  was  decided  that  the  office  of  President  of  the 
Church  should  be  abolished,  and  that  henceforward 
the  Twelve  should  be  the  supreme  authority. 


EXODUS,  DESEltT,  AND   WILDERNESS.    377 

Young  now  aimed  to  usurp  the  whole  power.  He 
had,  by  his  superior  ability  and  energy,  led  them 
thus  far  into  the  desert  in  safety ;  he  had  also  led 
a  pioneer  band  over  the  mountains,  and  shown  them 
the  beautiful  Land  of  Promise  they  were  about  to 
occupy ;  and  he  aspired  to  undivided  authority. 
He  cautiously  felt  his  way  among  his  associates  of 
the  quorum,  and  one  by  one  gained  them  over.  A 
majority  of  the  Twelve  gained,  the  people  wted 
freely  for  the  change ;  and  there  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  Nebraska,  the  order  of  government  so 
solemnly  established  in  the  Temple  at  Nauvoo  three 
years  before,  was  reversed,  and  Brigham  invested 
with  the  supreme  power,  in  name  as  in  fact. 
Here,  too,  the  work  of  proselyting  was  renewed ; 
missionaries  ordered  to  Europe,  and  instructions 
given  them  to  collect  as  much  of  "  tithing  "  and 
other  material  aid  as  possible,  for  the  erection  of 
a  new  Temple  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  valley.  And, 
as  on  former  occasions,  such  was  the  enthusiasm 
among  his  poor,  suffering,  and  shelterless  follow- 
ers, that  all  wanted  to  go  to  the  New  Jeru- 
salem that  was  being  prepared  for  them.  All 
were  willing  to  undertake  the  journey  to  that 
Promised  Land,  which  so  many  of  them  were 
doomed  to  never  reach ;  to  pursue  a  phantom 
which  was  leading  them  down  into  the  Valley  of 


378  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA 

the  Shadow  of  Death,  instead  of  the  Zion  of  their 
hopes. 

By  the  end  of  the  season,  four  or  five  thousand 
souls  had  entered  the  valley,  and  had  industriously 
set  at  work  to  make  themselves  homes. 

When  first  occupied,  the  Salt  Lake  valley,  as 
well  as  all  the  contiguous  territory,  belonged  still 
to  Mexico  nominally ;  but  at  the  treaty  of  peace 
which  soon  followed,  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States.  Brigham  Young  aimed  at  independent  em- 
pire ;  and  as  the  United  States'  authority  was  now 
to  be  extended  over  it,  his  next  and  best  step 
toward  independence  he  conceived  to  be  the  organ- 
ization of  a  STATE.  So  a  convention  was  held  on 
March  5,  1849,  and  the  Constitution  of  the  State 
of  Deseret  formed.  It  declared  that  "  We,  the 
people,  grateful  to  the  Supreme  Being  for  the  bless- 
ings hitherto  enjoyed,  and  feeling  our  dependence 
on  him  for  a  continuation  of  those  blessings,  do 
ordain  and  establish  a  free  and  independent  Gov- 
ernment by  the  name  of  the  STATE  or  DESERET," 
etc.,  etc.  Subsequently,  Brigham  Young  was 
elected  Governor  of  the  State.  Though  this  con- 
stitution was  rejected  by  Congress,  and  the  Terri- 
torial Government  of  Utah  established,  with  Young 
for  its  Governor, — this  "  State  of  Deseret"  is  to 
this  day  the  great  desideratum  with  the  leaders  in 
Salt  Lake  valley.  They  anxiously  await  the  day 


EXODUS,  DESERT,  AND  WILDERNESS.  379 
when  it  can  be  re-established.  That  day  should 
never  be  permitted  to  come  to  them,  until  it  can 
bring  another  « Wilmot  Proviso"  against  the 
"  twin  relic  of  barbarism  "  harbored  there. 


880  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYBA. 


CHAPTER    XXXYIH. 

THE    MORMON    TEMPLES. 

THE  KIRTLAND  TEMPLE — IN  MISSOURI — AT  NAUVOO — THE 
BAPTISMAL  FONT — ITS  DESTRUCTION  BY  FIRE — IMPORTANT 
DECISION  IN  OHIO. 

THE  Latter-Day  Saints  have  ever  been  most  in- 
dustrious temple-builders.  Early  in  his  career,  the 
prophet  imbibed  the  notion  that  a  glorious  Zion  and 
a  magnificent  temple  were  necessary  adjuncts  to 
the  system  he  was  planning ;  necessary  as  aids  in 
making  proselytes,  and  as  means  for  extracting 
money  from  his  followers.  In  this  his  judgment 
was  good.  It  is  very  doubtful,  whether  without 
these  aids,  he  could  have  succeeded  in  gathering 
around  him  half  the  fanaticism,  or  half  the  zeal  and 
enthusiasm  that  he  did,  in  the  fourteen  years  of  his 
imposture. 

With  only  a  handful  of  followers,  numbering  a 
few  hundreds,  the  first  temple  at  Kirtland  was 
begun.  It  was  the  work  of  several  years  ;  but  was 
pushed  forward  as  fast  as  the  tenthly  tithings  of 
members  would  permit.  It  was  said  to  have  cost 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  but  was  never  entirely  fin- 
ished. In  March,  1836,  it  was  sufficiently  advanced 


THE    MORMON    TEMPLES.  381 

to  admit  of  dedication,  which  was  performed  under 
imposing  ceremonies,  and  with  many  extravagant 
demonstrations  of  fanaticism.  It  was  eighty  feet 
in  length  and  sixty  wide,  and  about  fifty  in  height 
to  the  eaves — giving  two  stories  of  twenty-two  feet 
each,  and  an  attic  story  under  the  roof,  for  school 
purposes — with  a  steeple  and  dome  one  hundred  and 
ten  feet  high. 

But  before  its  completion,  the  idea  of  a  new  Zion 
and  a  grander  temple  on  the  rich  plains  of  Mis- 
souri was  entertained.  Just  how  many  were  sev- 
erally planned  there,  is  not  now  remembered.  The 
corner-stones  of  one  or  two  were  laid  ;  but  no  one, 
it  is  believed,  ever  grew  beyond  its  foundations  on 
the  border  land. 

The  Nauvoo  plan  was  on  a  greater  and  more 
magnificent  scale  than  that  of  Kirtland.  The 
"  Kings  of  the  earth  "were  commanded  to  con- 
tribute of  their  gold  and  silver  and  precious  jewels 
to  its  aid ;  and  though  no  king  is  known  to  have 
contributed  to  its  treasury,  it  is  certain  that  many 
of  the  subjects  of  a  young  Queen  (Victoria),  did 
castin  their  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence,  and  bestow 
the  labor  of  their  lusty  right  arms,  toward  its 
erection. 

The  corner-stones  of  this  temple  were  laid  on 
April  6,  1841,  five  years  after  the  dedication  at 
Kirtland.  Although  designed  for  a  religious  cere- 


382  THE    PEOPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

monial,  the  military  took  precedence  in  the  work. 
Lieutenant-General  Smith,  Major-General  Bennett, 
Brigadier-Generals  Law  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  all 
the  other  generals  and  aides-de-camp  and  com- 
manders, in  their  gorgeous  uniforms,  were  out  in 
full  style.  Sidney  Eigdon  delivered  the  oration ; 
after  which  President  Smith  laid  the  chief  corner- 
stone, the  south-east ;  President  Don  C.  Smith  laid 
the  south-west ;  the  High  Council  laid  the  north- 
west, and  the  Bishops  laid  the  north-east,  with  due 
solemnities. 

At  the  date  of  the  prophet's  death,  the  Temple 
was  well  under  way,  but  it  was  never  finished.* 
At  the  departure  of  the  Saints  in  1846,  it  stood  an 
imposing  sight  from  the  river  and  the  opposite  shore. 
All  around  its  base  were  spread  and  piled  the  debris 
of  stone  and  rubbish,  left  of  materials  used  in  its 
construction. 

*  Joseph  Smith,  the  younger,  says  that  the  Temple  was 
never  finished,  notwithstanding  Young's  declaration  that 
"  through  the  blessing  of  God,  it  was  completed  and  accepted 
by  Him."  He  says  :  "  This  statement  is  not  true."  And 
after-enumerating  numerous  instances  of  incompleteness,  he 
adds  :  "  If  the  statements  of  various  persons  can  be  relied  on, 
there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that,  in  one  respect,  there  was  a 
completion  ;  and  that  respect  is  the  desecration  and  defilement 
of  the  Temple,  by  the  holding  of  such  revels  and  orgies  therein, 
as  were  not  even  thought  of  by  the  '  money-changers,'  who 
made  the  House  of  God  at  Jerusalem  a  '  den  of  thieves,'  and 
against  which  the  righteous  indignation  of  Jesus  was  so  sig- 
nally directed." 

Similar  charges  of  "revels"  and  "orgies"  and  "  desecra- 
crations,"  he  should  remember,  were  made  at  the  time  of  the 
"  consecration"  of  the  Temple  at  Kirtland,  where  the  prophet 
himself  was  a  chief  actor. 


BAPTISMAL     FONT. 


THE    MORMON    TEMPLES.  383 

Inside,  in  the  basement,  stood  the  twelve  demure 
looking  Stone  Oxen,  supporting  the  ponderous 
baptismal  font ;  while  from  the  belfry,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  above,  was  to  be  observed  a 
magnificent  panorama  of  miles  in  extent,  embracing 
the  sweeping  crescent  of  the  river,  the  islands,  the 
bluffs,  and  the  stretch  of  prairie  beyond.  Thus  it 
stood  for  two  years  in  its  utter  desolation. 

The  Nauvoo  Temple  was  large,  but  not  so  im- 
mense as  has  been  represented.  It  was  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  long  by  eighty  in  width,  and  about 
sixty  feet  high,  surmounted  by  an  imposing  cupola 
and  dome  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the 
ground.  It  was  built  of  a  beautiful  gray  limestone, 
quarried  from  the  river  bluff  just  below  the  city. 
It  was  said  to  have  cost  a  million  and  a  quarter  of 
dollars — doubtless  an  exaggeration.  At  the  least, 
it  was  an  alarming  amount  for  a  poor  community 
to  invest  in  one  house  of  worship.  And  to  that 
purpose  it  was  ill-adapted.  So,  on  leaving  the  city, 
its  owners  found  it  to  be  a  very  heavy  weight  on  their 
hands.  It  was  not  suited  for  a  church  for  any  other 
denomination ;  it  was  not  convenient  for  a  manu- 
factory ;  and  it  was  not  well  adapted  to  educational 
purposes.  It  was  offered  for  sale ;  and  [the  low 
price  put  upon  it  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
Negotiations  on  the  part  of  several  parties  were 
talked  of;  and,  it  is  believed,  that  had  it  not  been 


384  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

destroyed  by  a  vandal  hand,  it  would  in  a  short 
time  have  passed  into  possession  of  some  educa- 
tional enterprise. 

On  the  morning  of  October  10,  1848,  at  about 
two  o'clock,  a  fire  was  discovered  in  the  highest 
section  of  the  cupola.  The  alarm  was  given,  and 
a  large  concourse  of  citizens  gathered  ;  but  all  effort 
to  save  the  building  was  unavailing.  "  In  an  in- 
credibly short  period  the  lofty  spire  was  enveloped 
in  flames,  shooting  upward  to  a  most  astonishing 
height,  and  illuminating  a  wide  expanse  of  coun- 
try," says  an  eye-witness.  In  two  hours,  only  the 
blackened  and  smoking  walls  remained  of  the  build- 
ing on  which  so  much  toil  and  effort  had  been  ex- 
pended, and  so  many  hopes  and  aspirations  cen- 
tered. A  monument  of  folly  and  fanaticism  and 
wickedness  while  it  stood,  its  destruction  was  no 
less  a  work  of  infamous  vandalism. 

The  perpetrator  of  the  deed  is  unknown.  By 
the  Mormons,  and  perhaps  by  the  public  gener- 
ally, the  deed  has  been  attributed  to  the  Anti- 
Mormon  party  of  the  county.  Without  being  able 
to  say  that  some  individual  among  them  may  not 
have  been  the  guilty  one,  the  writer  knows  that  the 
act  was  generally  condemned  by  them,  in  common 
with  all  other  citizens.  There  was  another  theory 
advanced  to  account  for  its  destruction,  which  is 
not  without  some  reason.  There  was  at  that  time 


THE    MORMON    TEMPLES.  385 

much  dissension  among  the  brotherhood ;  two  or 
three  parties  existed,  all  claiming  to  be  the  tine 
church  and  the  others  as  heretics,  and  they  hated 
each  other.  Besides,  they  had  all  contributed  of 
their  toil  and  means  for  its  erection ;  and  it  was 
natural  that  those  remaining  in  the  States  should 
object  that  the  proceeds  of  its  sale  should  go  to  the 
benefit  of  Brigham  in  the  wilderness.  Hence,  it 
has  been  surmised  that  some  reckless  and  over- 
zealous  member  of  one  of  these  branches,  may  have 
committed  the  act.  But  whoever  it  may  have  been, 
the  Gentiles  of  the  county  have  had  to  bear  the 
blame.  * 

The  largest  part  of  the  walls  stood  for  a  year  or 
two,  when  the  Icarian  community,  under  M. 
Etienne  Cabet,  located  in  the  city,  purchased  it, 
and  with  the  materials  built  a  school  house  and 
several  other  buildings  for  their  purposes.  After 
that  community  was  dissolved  a  few  years  later, 
some  of  these  structures  were  pulled  down  and 
scattered ;  and  now  relic  hunters  can  show  frag- " 
ments  of  the  Nauvoo  Temple  in  many  States,  and 
a  thousand  miles  away. 

The  grand  Temple,  under  process  of  erection  at 
Salt  Lake,  has  been  so  often  described  of  late,  as  to 
require  only  mere  mention  in  this  connection. 

The  Reconstructed  Branch  of  the  sect,  under  the 
leadership  of  the  younger  Smith,  does  not  seem  to  be 


388  THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER     XXXIX. 

THE  RECONSTRUCTED  MORMON  CHURCH. 

A  HISTORY  of  Mormonism  would  be  incomplete 
without  some  reference  to  that  branch  of  the  sect 
known  as  the  "  Reconstructed,"  over  which  Joseph 
Smith,  son  of  the  prophet,  now  presides. 

When  Brigham  Young  withdrew  with  the  main 
portion  of  the  broken  sect,  on  their  perilous  journey 
into  the  wilderness,  he  left  behind,  scattered  in 
various  directions,  a  number  of  once  principal  lead- 
ers with  a  considerable  following.  The  Laws,  the 
Fosters,  the  Higbees,  owners  and  managers  of  the 
destroyed  press,  had  gone  oif  never  to  return ; 
General  Bennett  had  been  beaten  in  his  quarrel  with 
the  prophet,  but  still  had  a  hankering  after  the 
flesh-pots ;  Rigdon  had  been  ignominiously  cut  off 
from  the  church;  "Brother  William,"  the  Patri- 
arch, with  Marks,  Robinson,  and  many  others,  had 
chosen  to  go  the  way  not  taken  by  Brigham  and 
the  Twelve.  James  J.  Strang  had  already  set  up 
a  "stake"  at  Voree,  in  Wisconsin,  and  there  a 
number  of  these  after  a  time  joined  him.  Even 
Bennett,  Rigdon,  the  Patriarch  William,  and  strong- 
lunged  John  E.  Page,  after  various  wanderings, 


THE    EECONSTEUCTED    CHURCH.          389 

essayed  to  gather  the  remnants  around  the  Zion  at 
Voree.  But  Strang's  revelations  proved  unprofit- 
able, and  his  venture  failed.  Bennett  left  for 
greener  pastures,  and  Rigdon  repaired  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, his  boyhood  home,  and  died. 

What  was  the  true  origin  of  the  "  Reconstructed 
Branch,"  it  is  hard  now  to  tell ;  but  it  seems  to 
have  grown  out  of  this  Strang  movement. 

o  o 

At  the  time  of  the  exodus  to  Salt  Lake,  there 
were  left  behind  and  still  residents  of  Nauvoo,  the 
widow  and  family  of  the  dead  Prophet.  These 
resisted  all  the  importunities  of  Brigham  and  his 
followers  to  go  with  them.  The  son  Joseph  (the 
third  of  the  name) ,  was  then  a  boy ;  and  we  have 
the  best  authority  for  the  statement  that  neither 
he  nor  his  mother  believed  in  the  Divine  Mission  of 
the  father  and  husband,  or  that  his  death  was  a 
martyrdom  to  religious  faith ;  and  at  that  time 
considered  themselves  as  standing  entirely  aloof 
from  the  sect.  Great  efforts  were  made  by  the 
chiefs,  on  their  departure,  to  obtain  the  co-operation 
of  the  widow  and  son,  hoping  thereby,  to  secure  a 
larger  following  of  the  people.  The  mother  is  stated 
to  have  kept  a  watchful  eye  upon  the  boy,  fearing 
that  he  might  yield  to  the  seductive  offers  that  were 
made  him.  But  he,  too,  hated  and  despised  them ; 
and  after  they  had  become  settled  in  the  Salt  Lake 


390  THE    PEOPHET     OF  PALMYILl. 

valley,  and  lie  was  again  approached,  he  absolutely 
refused  to  yield  to  their  tempting  offers. 

But  influences  were  at  work  on  the  other  side. 
Strang  was  issuing  a  little  organ  at  Voree,  called 
Z ion's  Reveille,  edited  by  John  Greenhow,  who 
had  figured  at  Nauvoo.  In  this  organ,  as  early  as 
1847,  we  find  the  following : 

"THE  FIRST  PRESIDENCY. — Young  Joseph 
Smith  (eldest  son  of  the  martyred  prophet)  has 
been  appointed  one  of  the  first  presidents  of  the 
church,  by  revelation,  in  the  place  of  his  uncle 
Hyrum,  and  William  Marks  has  been  appointed  his 
coadjutor  in  like  manner.  The  first  presidency  now 
consists  of  James  J.  Strang,  (in  place  of  Joseph 
Smith  martyred,)  George  J.  Adams,  (in  place  of 
Sidney  Rigdon,  apostatized,)  and  Joseph  Smith, 
(in  place  of  Hyrum  Smith,  martyred).  William 
Smith,  the  only  surviving  brother  of  Joseph  and 
Hyrum,  is  the  chief  Patriarch,  and  as  the  Patriarch 
of  the  whole  church  has  always  held  a  seat  in  the 
councils  of  the  first  Presidency  as  coadjutor,  that 
high  prerogative  will  be  freely  accorded  to  him,  by 
virtue  of  his  patriarchate." 

Just  what  his  age  was  at  the  time  of  this  appoint- 
ment we  are  not  advised,  nor  whether  he  duly 
accepted.  But  it  seems  that  so  late  as  1866,  at  an 
annual  conference,  the  work  was  completed,  and 
the  "Reorganized  Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints  " 
put  in  running- order,  with  Joseph  Smith,  the  third, 
at  its  head. 

In  a  newspaper  of  that  date,  we  find  an  address 
made  by  the  new  prophet  and  president,  the  read- 


THE   RECONSTRUCTED    CHtttCK          391 

ing  of  which  will  show  that,  like  his  father,  he 
claimed  to  be  "Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator,' 
stating,  however,  that  he  had  his  < «  own  peculiar 
notion  in  regard  to  revelation,"  but  did  not  state 
what  that  notion  was.  He  seemed  to  be  impressed 
with  the  belief  that  his  claim  to  the  position  would 
not  be  rejected,  and  that  the  "great  name "  of 
Joseph  Smith  carried  with  it  some  moral  force. 

The  headquarters  of  the  "Reconstructed  "  Church 
were  established  at  Piano,  Illinois,  the  printing 
press  set  at  work,  and  the  business  of  proselyting 
vigorously  prosecuted.  Since,  churches  have  been 
established  in  many  places,  and  converts  made — 
among  them  people  of  character  and  worth ;  and 
the  sect  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  well-ordered 
and  established  sects  of  the  country.  Its  origin, 
as  preceding  chapters  have  amply  shown,  was  a 
most  absurd  and  wicked  fraud  and  delusion. 

That  these  people,  under  our  free  system  of  gov- 
ernment, have  a  right  to  organize  a  sect,  and  build 
a  system  of  religious  faith  upon  the  Boole  of  Mor- 
mon, or  the  equally  veritable  story  of  Baron  Mun- 
chausen,  or  any  other,  nobody  will  deny,  whatever 
one  may  think  of  the  character  of  the  enterprise. 
Perhaps  some  of  the  previously  existing  sects  have 
had  equally  absurd  foundations ;  hence,  as  long 
as  they  conduct  themselves  in  an  orderly  and  de- 
cent manner  and  obey  the  laws,  they  will  be  equally 


392  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

entitled  with  all  other  citizens,  to  the  law's  protec- 
tion. 

While  building  upon  the  same  foundation  with 
their  brethren  in  Utah,  and  accepting  the  silly 
story  that  brought  them  both  into  existence  as 
organizations,  they  very  properly  reject  the  mon- 
strous doctrines  inculcated  there — doctrines  which 
have  made  that  territory  a  foul  blot  upon  the 
nation's  fame.  Yet,  strange  to  say —  and  it  is  a 
conspicuous  example  of  human  weakness  and 
inconsistency  —  while  denouncing  the  doctrines, 
they  revere  and  hold  as  a  martyr  him  who  first 
declared  and  inculcated  them.  From  this  position 
there  is  no  escape ;  a  position  they  must  forever 
face. 

To  say  that  a  large  portion  of  these  people,  now 
and  in  the  past,  in  the  States,  and  in  Utah,  are 
not  sincere  believers  in  what  they  profess,  would, 
doubtless,  be  untrue  and  extremely  uncharitable ; 
yet  how  any  of  the  leaders —  from  the  first 
"  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator,"  down  to  the 
latest  in  Utah,  and  the  more  modest  "  President " 
of  the  Reconstructed — can  be  honest,  is  past  com- 
prehension ;  a  conundrum  which  all  inquirers  will 
be  compelled  to  "  give  up." 

The  difference  in  creed  and  practice,  between 
these  two  branches  of  the  sect,  is  mainly  in  the 
matter  of  polygamy,  and  the  Blood  Atonement. 


THE    RECONSTRUCTED    CHURCH.          393 

Here  in  the  States,  among  the  members  of  the  new 
church,  we  hear  little  of  polygamy,  except  in 
denunciation ;  nor  do  we  hear  any  more  of  Danite 
Bands  to  keep  apostasy  in  check. 


394  THE   PMOPHET    OF   JPALMYKA, 


CHAPTER    XL. 

POLYGAMY   AND    THE   BLOOD    ATONEMENT. 

THE  TWIN  EVILS  OF  MORMONISM — POLYGAMY  IN  UTAH — 
DENOUNCED  BY  THE  "  EECONSTRUCTED  " — ORIGINATED  BY 
THE  PROPHET — PROOFS  ADDUCED — BLOOD  ATONEMENT 
DEFINED  BY  YOUNG — KNOWN  IN  MISSOURI  AND  ILLINOIS 
— SMITH  AND  EIGDON  ITS  AUTHORS. 

THESE  two  most  foul  and  dangerous  doctrines  of 
the  Mormon  scheme  are,  at  the  present,  eliciting 
much  thought  and  inquiry,  and  attracting  atten- 
tion among  our  legislators.  Were  they  introduced 
by  the  Prophet  Smith,  and  inculcated  by  him  and 
his  followers,  or  have  they  been  engrafted  into  the 
creed  since  these  people  became  denizens  of  the  wil- 
derness? are  inquiries  herein  to  be  considered. 
The  members  of  the  Reconstructed  Latter-Day 
Church  are  very  active  in  their  efforts  to  show 
that  polygamy  is  not  a  true  Mormon  doctrine ;  and 
they  denounce  its  practice  on  the  part  of  their 
brethren  in  Utah,  in  like  severe  terms  with  all 
Christian  sects  and  decent  civilized  people.  In  this, 
their  sincerity  and  honesty  need  not  be  questioned. 
They  quote,  and  quite  truly,  from  the  Boole  of  Mor- 
mon, and  from  the  Boole  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
as  well  as  from  all  the  public  teachings  of  the 


POLYGAMY-BLOOD    ATONEMENT.       395 

prophet,  numerous  passages  pointedly  and  dis- 
tinctly against  the  system.  And  they  challenge  the 
Utah  people  to  point  to  one  sentence,  authorizing 
or  sanctioning  it,  prior  to  Brigham  Young's  pre- 
tended revelation  of  August  29,  1852.  So  far, 
they  have  the  argument  on  their  side.  There  is 
nothing  that  we  have  been  able  to  discover,  in  all 
of  Joseph  Smith's  acknowledged  writings  or  public 
utterances,  to  justify  this  claim  set  up  in  Utah. 

The  Utah  brethren — some  of  them — admit  this  ; 
but  claim  that  at  the  prophet's  death  the  period  had 
not  arrived  for  its  promulgation  ;  and  they  parade 
the  new  revelation  above  mentioned,  as  having 
been  given  to  him  and  laid  away  until  that  proper 
time  should  arrive.  When  Brigham  announced  it 
in  1852,  in  Salt  Lake,  he  stated  that  it  had  been 
given  to  Joseph  Smith  in  Nauvoo,  on  the  12th  day 
of  July,  1843,  nearly  a  year  before  his  death;  and 
that  he  (Young)  had  it  in  possession  ever  since. 
But  the  document  was  in  his  own  handwriting,  a 
circumstance  he  accounted  for  by  the  assertion  that 
Mrs.  Emma  Smith,  the  widow,  had  purloined  and 
destroyed  the  original.  But  why  had  he  previously 
copied  it? — had  he  done  so  in  anticipation  of  her 
act?  The  story  looks  very  much  like  a  fabrication. 

The  revelation  thus  promulgated  is  entitled : 
"  A  REVELATION  on  the  Patriarchal  Order  of  Mat- 
rimony, or  Plurality  of  Wives,  Given  to  JOSEPH 


396  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

SMITH,  the  Beer,  in  Nauvoo,  July  12,  1843." 
It  is  very  lengthy,  containing  twenty-five  sections, 
and  is  miserably  disgusting  and  blasphemous. 
Emanating  either  from  Smith  or  Young,  it  fur- 
nishes the  basis  for  the  introduction  of  polygamy 
into  the  Mormon  creed,  and  as  such  we  give  it  a 
place  in  these  pages.  It  permits,  yea,  commands, 
in  all  its  outrageous  details,  under  the  threatened 
penalty  of  "  damnation,"  for  disobedience,  the 
system  of  polygamy  as  now  practiced  by  the  lead- 
ers in  Utah.  And  it  must  be  confessed  that  it  is 
little,  if  any,  more  disgusting  than  many  of  Smith's 
acknowledged  utterances.  And  it  contains  some 
things,  too,  that  would  seem  to  have  been  the  work 
of  his  own  mind;  though  these  may  have  been 
introduced  by  Young  to  more  readily  serve  his  pur- 
pose of  deception.  One  of  these  is  the  pains  taken 
to  conciliate  Emma  and  prepare  her  for  the  new 
dispensation.  In  it  she  is  directly  addressed  by 
name,  and  commanded  to  "  obey,"  or  she  will  be 
destroyed. 

Although  this  utterance  of  Brigham  Young,  nine 
years  after  its  professed  delivery  from  on  high, 
looks  much  like  a  forgery  on  his  part,  yet  still  there 
were  many  circumstances  leading  to  show  that  it 
may  have  been  truly  what  he  claimed  for  it.  There 
is  unquestionable  evidence  that  in  1843  and  1844 — 
both  before  and  after  Smith's  death — the  subject  of 


POLYGAMY-BLOOD    ATONEMENT.       397 

polygamy  (or  what  was  then  termed  "  Spiritual 
Wifery  "),  was  much  discussed  at  Nauvoo.  It  had 
not,  of  course,  been  openly  incorporated  into  the 
creed,  by  revelation  or  otherwise.  Indeed,  such 
was  the  force  of  outside  and  inside  pressure,  that  it 
was  necessary  to  meet  the  charge  with  the  loudest 
denials.  The  two  organs  teemed  with  those  de- 
nials, down  to  1846  or  '47,  when  they  ceased  to 
exist.  John  Taylor,  lately  at  the  head  of  the 
church  in  Utah,  and  counting  several  wives,  was 
the  editor  of  both  those  organs  in  Nauvoo.  If 
Brigham  had  this  sweet-scented  document  locked 
up  in  his  drawer  for  three  or  four  years  in  Illinois, 
and  as  many  more  in  Salt  Lake,  would  not  John 
Taylor  have  been  likely  to  know  it  ?  The  publica- 
tion of  the  document  as  emanating  from  Smith, 
whether  truly  or  not,  places  the  whole  of  them  in 
an  awkward  dilemma,  let  them  adopt  which  horn 
of  it  they  choose. 

Although  the  members  of  the  Reconstructed 
Branch  may  successfully  show  that  none  of  their 
text-books  teach  or  authorize  polygamy,  they  will 
not  be  able  to  show  that  Joseph  Smith,  whom  they 
reverence  as  a  prophet,  a  man  of  God,  and  a  martyr, 
was  not  the  originator  of  the  thought.  The  facts 
are  too  well  known  to  all  who  were  conversant 
with  Mormon  history  in  Nauvoo  in  the  days  of  his 
power.  We  have  it  from  good  authority  that  this 


398  THE    PRQPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

question  is  what,  with  others,  caused  Oliver  Cow- 
dery  to  separate  from  him.  Public  opinion  and 
the  laws  of  the  land  prevented  the  doctrine  from 
being  openly  avowed  and  practiced  in  the  States. 
But  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  they  erected 
an  independent  empire,  and  wrought  out  their  own 
system,  unrestrained  by  law,  or  public  opinion,  or 
the  decent  usages  of  civilization,  the  doctrine  was 
soon  proclaimed.  Had  the  main  body  remained  in 
the  States,  it  would  have  been  "  Spiritual  Wifery  " 
still,  with  a  "  we-would-if-we-dare"  effort  to  adopt 
it  as  a  creed,  denied  to  the  world,  and  practiced 
in  the  harems  of  the  leaders.  There  is  said  to 
be  one  prominent  leader  high  in  authority  now 
in  Utah,  whose  legal  wife  refused  to  leave  Nau- 
voo  with  him,  because  he  would  not  agree  to 
forego  the  pleasures  of  the  system  in  the  wilder- 
ness ;  and  an  estimable  woman,  wife  of  another 
leader  there,  who  went  with  her  husband,  but  who, 
because  of  the  abominations  she  witnessed  before 
leaving,  still  lives  in  the  midst  of  its  corruptions, 
hating  Mormonism  as  she  hates  the  Prince  of  Dark- 
ness. 

It  is  also  well  understood  that  when  the  great  rebel- 
lion against  the  prophet  occurred  in  1844,  and  a  new 
church  was  organized,  and  a  paper  started  to  oppose 
him,  this  was  one  of  the  chief  charges  brought 
against  him.  That  paper,  the  Nauvoo  Expository 


POLYGAMY— BLOOD    ATONEMENT.       399 

under  date  of  June  7,  1844  (a  year  after  the  date 
named  by  Young  as  that  of  the  supposed  revelation) , 
contained  a  long  protest  from  the  members  of  the 
new  church,  charging  the  prophet  with  teaching 
the  doctrine  of  "  Celestial  Marriage."  One  of  the 
affidavits,  made  by  Mr.  Austin  Cowles,  a  member 
of  the  high  council,  certifies  that  a  document  pur- 
porting to  be  a  revelation  from  heaven  authorizing 
and  commanding  them  to  have  more  wives  than  one, 
was  read  to  him  as  early  as  THE  LATTER  PART  or  THE 
SUMMER  or  1843  !  Other  testimonies  of  similar 
purport  were  made  at  the  same  time.  These  affida- 
vits, made  in  1844,  before  the  prophet's  death, 
strongly  support  Brigham  Young's  statement  in 
Utah,  nine  years  later. 

It  is  remembered,  also,  that  the  main  body  of  the 
prophet's  adherents  stoutly  denied  these  charges, 
and  denounced  those  making  them  as  liars  and  per- 
jurers. Yet,  of  late  years,  in  Utah,  they  have 
thrown  off  all  disguises,  and,  contradicting  their 
own  declarations  of  former  days,  now  claim  that 
"  Joseph"  was  not  only  the  revelator  of  the  doc- 
trine, but  with  disgusting  particularity,  declare  that 
they  knew  of  his  practicing  it  long  before  it  was 
revealed  to  him  from  heaven.  The  Deseret  News, 
the  official  daily  organ  of  the  church,  is  said  to 
have  lately  published  affidavits  stating  this  fact,  and 
citing  the  names  of  certain  women  now  living  in 


400  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

Utah,  who  were  in  Nauvoo  among  the  prophet's 
plural  wives.  One  of  these,  Miss  Eliza  R.  Snow, 
was  well-known  in  Illinois  as  a  poetess  of  no  mean 
powers,  whose  pen  often  contributed  through  the 
Mormon  papers  to  the  glory  of  Zion  and  the  great- 
ness of  the  prophet.  We  now  learn  where  she 
obtained  her  inspiration. 

So  that,  whether  the  revelation  promulgated  by 
Brigham  Young  in  1852,  was  really  the  work  of 
Smith  or  not,  makes  but  little  difference.  It  was, 
at  any  rate,  if  nothing  more,  an  off-shoot  of  that 
poisonous  Upas  tree  planted  by  him  long  before  his 
death,  and  which  Young  and  Hyde,  and  Kimball 
and  Taylor,  and  the  Pratts,  have  all  these  years  so 
assiduously  watered  and  nurtured.  The  Recon- 
structed brethren  will  hardly  succeed  in  shifting 
the  responsibility.  Yet  they  do  well  in  rejecting 
the  creed.  But — and  to  this  question  we  desire  to 
call  their  serious  attention — should  the  genuine- 
ness of  that  latest  revelation  ever  be  fully  estab- 
lished (as  it  may  be) ,  what  then  ?  Will  they  dis- 
own its  doctrines  still,  and  denounce  its  real  author, 
as  they  now  denounce  its  reputed  forger  ?  Or  will 
they  make  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  engraft  the 
whole  of  their  prophet's  teachings  into  their  creed, 
as  they  now  do  a  part  ?  They  should  consider  well 
the  position  they  occupy. 

And  so  with  the  doctrine  of  "  BLOOD  ATONE- 


POLYGAMY— BLOOD    ATONEMENT.       401 

MENT."  The  annals  of  religious  fanaticism  can 
scarcely  present  a  parallel  to  its  atrocity,  and  yet  it 
claimed  to  be  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  Injunction, 
"  Love  one  another  !  "  And,  strange  to  say,  this 
doctrine  is  so  little  understood,  that  it  has  lately 
been  referred  to  in  a  Chicago  pulpit,  as  "  one  of 
those  tenets  of  the  Christian  creed,  accepted  by 
Mormons  in  common  with  all  other  denomina- 
tions !  "* 

To  show  what  blood  atonement  really  means,  let 
us  refer  to  some  of  the  utterances  of  Brigham  Young 
and  others  in  Utah.  In  a  sermon  delivered  in  the 
Tabernacle  in  Salt  Lake,  on  February  8,  1857, 
Brigham  used  the  following  language  : 

* '  When  will  we  love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves  ? 
In  the  first  place,  Jesus  said  that  no  man  hateth 
his  own  flesh.  It  is  admitted  by  all  that  every 
person  loves  himself.  Now,  if  we  do  rightly  love 
ourselves,  we  want  to  be  saved  and  continue  to 
exist ;  we  want  to  go  into  the  Kingdom  where  we 
can  enjoy  eternity,  and  see  no  more  sorrow  or 
death.  This  is  the  desire  of  every  person  who  be- 
lieves in  God.  Now,  take  a  person  in  this  congre- 
gation, who  has  knowledge  with  regard  to  being 
saved  in  the  Kingdom  of  our  God  and  our  Father, 
and  being  exalted ;  one  who  knows  and  understands 
the  principles  of  eternal  life,  and  sees  the  beauties 
and  excellencies  of  the  eternities  before  him,  com- 
pared with  the  vain  and  foolish  things  of  the  world  ; 
and  suppose  that  he  is  overtaken  in  a  gross  fault, 
that  he  has  committed  a  sin  that  he  knows  will 
deprive  him  of  that  exaltation  which  he  desires, 

*  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas,  sermon,  February,  1882. 


402  THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

and  that  he  cannot  attain  to  it  without  the  shed- 
ding of  his  blood ;  and  also  knows  that  by  having 
his  blood  shed  he  will  atone  for  that  sin,  and  be 
saved  and  exalted  with  the  Gods — is  there  a  man 
or  woman  in  this  house,  but  would  say,  <  Shed  my 
blood,  that  I  might  be  saved  and  exalted  with  the 
Gods'? 

*  *  All  mankind  love  themselves ;  and  let  those 
principles  be  known  by  an  individual,  and  he  would 
be  glad  to  have  his  blood  shed.  This  would  be 
loving  ourselves  even  unto  an  eternal  exaltation. 
Will  you  love  your  brothers  or  sisters  likewise, 
when  they  have  a  sin  that  cannot  be  atoned  for 
without  the  shedding  of  blood  ?  Will  you  love  that 
man  or  woman  well  enough  to  shed  their  blood  ? 
That  is  what  Jesus  Christ  meant!  He  never  told 
a  man  or  woman  to  love  their  enemies  in  their 
wickedness,  never !  He  never  meant  any  such 
thing. 

"  I  could  refer  you  to  plenty  of  instances  where 
men  have  been  righteously  slain  in  order  to 
atone  for  their  sins.  I  have  seen  scores  and  hun- 
dreds of  people  for  whom  there  would  have  been  a 
chance  (in  the  last  resurrection  there  will  be),  if 
their  lives  had  been  taken  and  their  blood  spilled 
on  the  ground  as  a  smoking  incense  to  the  Al- 
mighty, but  who  are  now  angels  to  the  devil,  until 
our  elder  brother,  Jesus  Christ,  raises  them  up, 
conquers  death,  hell  and  the  grave. 

' « I  have  known  a  great  many  men  who  have  left 
this  Church,  for  whom  there  is  no  chance  whatever 
for  exaltation  ;  but  if  their  blood  had  been  spilled 
it  would  have  been  better  for  them. 

"  THE  WICKEDNESS  AND  IGNORANCE  OF  THE  NA- 
TIONS FORBID  THIS  PRINCIPLE  BEING  IN  FULL  FORCE  ; 

BUT  THE  TIME  WILL  COME  WHEN  THE  LAW  OF 

GOD  WILL  BE  IN  FULL  FORCE.  (  !  )  THIS  IS  LOVING 
OUR  NEIGHBORS  AS  OURSELVES  ;  IF  HE  NEEDS  HELP, 


POLYGAMY-BLOOD    ATONEMENT.        403 

HELP  HIM.  IF  HE  WANTS  SALVATION,  AND  IT  IS 
NECESSARY  TO  SPILL  HIS  BLOOD  ON  THE  EARTH,  IN 
ORDER  THAT  HE  MAY  BE  SAVED,  SPILL  IT.  (  !  !  ) 

"  Now,  brethren  and  sisters,  WILL  YOU  LIVE  YOUR 
RELIGION  ?  How  many  hundreds  of  times  have  I 
asked  that  question  ?  Will  the  Latter-Day  Saints 
live  their  religion  ?  " 

On  another  occasion  he  said  : 

"I  know,  when  you  hear  my  brethren  telling 
about  cutting  people  off  from  the  earth,  that  you 
consider  it  a  strong  doctrine ;  but  it  is  to  save  them, 
not  to  destroy  them. 

' '  There  are  sins  that  can  be  atoned  for  by  an 
offering  upon  an  altar,  as  in  ancient  days  ;  and  there 
are  sins  that  the  blood  of  a  lamb,  of  a  calf,  or  of 
turtle  doves,  cannot  remit,  but  they  must  be  atoned 
for  by  the  blood  of  the  man.  .  .  ." 

On  an  occasion,  when  preaching  against  apostasy 
— and  apostasy  from  the  Mormon  Church  has  ever 
been  one  of  the  unpardonable  sins,  for  the  punish- 
ment of  which  the  blood  atonement  has  always  been 
invoked — he  used  the  following  language  : 

"  Now,  you  Gladdenites  [followers  of  Gladden 
Bishop,  an  apostate],  keep  your  tongues  still,  lest 
sudden  destruction  come  upon  you.  I  say,  rather 
than  that  the  apostates  should  flourish  here,  I  WILL 
UNSHEATH  MY  BOWIE-KNIFE,  and  conquer  or  die. 
Now,  you  nasty  apostates,  clear  out,  or  judgment 
will  be  laid  to  the  line  and  righteousness  to  the 
plummet.  If  you  say  it  is  all  right  [to  the  audi- 
ence] ,  raise  your  hands.  Let  us  call  upon  the  Lord 
to  assist  us  in  this  and  every  other  good  work." 

During  the  delivery  of  the  above  there  was  a 
great  outburst  of  approbation,  and  when  the  con- 


404  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

gregation  was  called  to  raise  hands,  all  hands  were 
Raised,  except  those  under  condemnation.  The 
t&addenites  sought  other  fields  of  laboi;.  Brigham 
S\)ung  was  not  the  only  one  who  thus  preached 
Blood  Atonement.  He  was  echoed  by  several 
others.  Thus,  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  one  of  the  three 
presidents  : 

"  I  say  there  are  men  and  women  here,  that  I 
Would  advise  to  go  to  the  President  immediately, 
and  ask  him  to  appoint  a  committee  to  attend  to 
their  case,  and  then  let  a  place  be  selected,  and  let 
that  committee  shed  their  blood. 

"We  have  been  trying  long  enough  with  this 
people,  and  I  go  in  for  letting  the  sword  of  the 
Almighty  to  be  unsheathed,  not  only  in  word,  but 
in  deed." 

The  foregoing,  and  numerous  other  quotations 
that  might  be  made  if  necessary,  are  not  the  idle 
and  unproven  statements  of  Gentile  enemies ;  but 
are  faithful  transcripts  from  their  own  authorized 
publications.  They  show  clearly  what  the  doctrine 
of  Blood  Atonement  means  in  Utah.  That  doc- 
trine has  become  a  firmly  established  law  in  that 
territory,  under  the  terrible  despotism  of  the  Priest- 
hood. Its  spirit — under  the  guise  of  love  to  man 
— is  as  vindictive,  and  its  modes  and  methods  as 
secret,  and  silent,  and  sure,  as  those  of  the  Spanish 
Inquisition.  It  means  simply  that  apostasy,  and 
all  other  sins  against  the  church — or  whatever  the 
First  Presidency  choose  to  define  as  such — are  to 


POLYGAMY-BLOOD    ATONEMENT.       405 

be  punished  with  death.  It  means  that  all  power, 
temporal  and  spiritual,  is  made  to  reside  in  the 
church,  and  that  the  one  man,  whom  they  call  its 
President,  is  that  church's  supreme  infallible  ex- 
ponent, whose  voice  is  to  be  obeyed  as  the  voice 
of  God  ! 

We  do  not  observe  that  the  Reconstructed  Mor- 
mon branch  in  the  States,  have  much  to  say  in 
denunciation  of  this  Blood  Atonement  doctrine.  Is 
it  possible  they  do  not  see  that  it  is  as  great  and  a 
more  dangerous  evil  than  polygamy  ?  Nor  does  it 
appear  that  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
or  our  legislators,  are  as  fully  alive  to  its  enor- 
mity as  its  nature  demands.  Destroy  that  priestly 
power  which  is  supreme  and  overrides  every- 
thing in  Utah,  and  the  evils  of  Mormonism  and 
polygamy  even,  can  soon  be  eradicated  from  Amer- 
ican soil. 

It  is  interesting,  too,  to  inquire  into  the  origin 
of  this  Atonement  doctrine.  Who,  among  the  band, 
first  inculcated  it?  Who  first  made  it  a  tenet 
of  the  church  creed?  Brigham  Young's  broad 
shoulders — much  of  blood  and  rapine,  and  blas- 
phemy, and  crime  against  government  and  law  as 
they  are  justly  doomed  to  bear — must  not  be  laden 
with  more  than  is  just.  As  we  have  shown  that 
polygamy  had  its  origin  in  the  States,  so  we  shall 
show  that  this  Blood  Atonement  creed  was  taught 


406  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

and  practiced  there  also,  years  before  Brigham's 
reign  in  Utah. 

David  Whitmer,  always  a  good  witness  with 
them,  when  recently  interviewed  by  the  Kansas 
City  Journal,,  says  the  Danite  Band  of  Destroying 
Angels,  was  originated  by  Smith  and  Eigdon  to  be 
used  against  apostates,  and  that  he  and  Oliver  Cow- 
dery  had  to  flee  for  their  lives.  Orson  Hyde,  in 
his  quarrel  with  Rigdon  in  Xauvoo,  in  1845,  twits 
him  with  hiding  slain  apostates  in  the  Missouri 
bush  a  few  years  before.  Rigdon' s  celebrated 
"  Salt  Sermon,"  delivered  one  fourth  of  July  in 
Missouri,  contains  the  essence  of  the  doctrine;  and 
that  sermon  was  at  the  time  extolled  and  echoed  by 
the  leaders,  though  afterwards  condemned  as  ill- 
timed  and  impolitic.  How  many  of  the  seceders, 
in  the  days  of  Smith  and  Rigdon  in  Missouri  and 
Illinois,  were  made  to  atone  with  their  blood  for 
their  transgressions — < '  fall  backward  at  their  horse's 
heels  " — Mr.  Whitmer  does  not  say,  and  it  will 
never  be  known. 

Like  polygamy,  Blood  Atonement  was  practiced 
in  the  days  of  the  prophet — not  TAUGHT;  used  as 
an  instrument  of  power — not  PROCLAIMED  as  an 
emanation  from  the  Divine  Will.  In  short,  it  is 
safe  to  say,  that  the  Mormonism,  as  it  existed  in 
Ohio,  in  Missouri,  in  Illinois,  during  the  years 
1830  to  1847,  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  that 


POLYGAMY— BLOOD    ATONEMENT.       407 

of  1856  in  Utah,  and  to-day ;  differing  in  degree, 
and  by  reason  of  changed  circumstances  only  ;  and 
that  the  gigantic  evils  that  have  been  growing  up 
with  it  in  all  these  years,  were  planted  and  nurtured 
in  its  soil  from  the  beginning. 


408  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYUA. 


CHAPTER     XLL 

THE    SPALDING    ROMANCE. 

REVIEW  OF  THE  SITUATION — DR.  HURLBUT  AND  E.  D.  HOWE 
—THEIR  BOOK,  "  MORMONISM  UNVEILED  "— SOLOMON 
SPALDING'S  "  MANUSCRIPT  FOUND"— EFFORT  TO  OBTAIN 
IT — RECENT  STATEMENTS  CONCERNING  IT. 

IT  has  been  charged  that  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
instead  of  being  a  translation  from  golden  plates, 
bearing  a  valuable  message  from  heaven,  as  claimed 
by  Joseph  Smith,  was  really  based  on  a  romance 
known  as  Manuscript  Found,  written  by  a  cer- 
tain Presbyterian  clergyman,  as  long  ago  as  1814. 
This  charge  is,  and  always  has  been,  stoutly  denied 
by  Mormon  writers,  and  the  proof  demanded.  They, 
some  of  them  at  least,  doubtless  know  why  it  is 
the  document  cannot  be  produced  to  substantiate 
the  charge.  But  it  so  happens  that  there  are  other 
ways  of  establishing  the  fact.  There  are  not, 
probably,  now  living,  any  persons  outside  of  the 
Mormon  connection,  who  are  in  possession  of  the 
secret,  as  to  where,  and  when,  and  how  it  was 
effected,  and  by  whom  ;  but  that  the  Spalding  work 
did  get  into  the  hands  of  Smith  and  his  co-laborers 
in  deception,  and  was  made  the  basis  of  the  mis- 
erable structure  known  as  the  Book  of  Mormon ,  is 


THE   SPALDING   ROMANCE.  409 

now  as  clear  as  human  testimony  can  make  it.  The 
history  of  that  romance  is  a  curious  one ;  and  the 
proofs  of  its  being  the  ground  work  on  whiclf  the 
Mormon  fraud  was  built,  are  so  many  and  so  various, 
that  we  shall  be  pardoned  for  devoting  so  much 
space  to  their  consideration. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  the  Smith  family 
resided,  from  1825  to  1830,  during  the  incubation 
period  of  the  fraud,  at  the  village  of  Palmyra,  New 
York,  and  at  Manchester,  near  by.  The  Book  of  Mor- 
mon was  printed  in  1829-30,  at  Palmyra,  and  pub- 
lished to  the  world  in  the  last  named  year.  About  the 
time  of  its  publication  a  church  was  formed,  and 
soon  afterwards  it  was  decided  to  emigrate  to,  and 
settle  and  build  a  Zion  in,  North-eastern  Ohio. 
At  this  place,  Kirtland,  a  large  settlement  was 
made,  a  temple  begun,  and  many  converts  made. 
Among  these  converts,  was  a  certain  Dr.  Philastus 
Hurlbut.  This  doctor  soon  quarrelled  with  the 
leaders,  and  was  expelled  or  withdrew  from  the 
church;  and  going  to  Painesville,  induced  Mr.  E. 
D.  Howe,  of  the  Painesville  Telegraph,  to  get  up 
an  expose^  of  Mormonism.  This  was  in  1833 
or  '34,  and  the  book  was  published  in  1834,  only 
four  years  after  the  Boole  of  Mormon  had  been 
printed. 

When  the  Book  of  Mormon  appeared  in  Ohio, 
during  the  year  of  its  publication  or  year  after,  some 


410  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

of  the  old  residents  in  the  region  recognized  in  it 
an  old  acquaintance.  This  old  acquaintance  was  a 
manuscript  work  written  by  Rev.  Solomon  Spald- 
ing,  who,  sixteen  years  before,  had  resided  at 
Conneaut  Creek,  in  the  vicinity — a  book  which  he 
had  denominated  The  Manuscript  Found.  Mr. 
Spalding  was  a  retired  clergyman,  poor  and  in  debt, 
and  in  bad  health.  He  had  become  interested  in 
some  mounds  in  the  vicinity,  and  his  thoughts  dwelt 
much  upon  the  pre-historic  inhabitants  of  this  coun- 
try ;  so  much  so,  that  he  resolved  to  write  a  pre- 
tended history  of  such  a  people,  and  in  "  Scripture 
style."  It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  reverend 
gentleman,  though  honest  and  well-meaning,  was 
something  of  a  "  crank,"  and  possessed  of  an  ill- 
balanced  mind.  While  his  romance  was  in  prog- 
ress, he  took  frequent  occasion  to  read  portions  of 
it  to  his  neighbors  and  friends ;  and  by  reason  of 
its  peculiarity  of  style,  and  the  names  he  intro- 
duced, as  well  as  the  incidents  narrated,  it  made  an 
impression  on  their  memories.  This  manuscript, 
with  some  others,  was  written  in  1812  to  1814. 
In  the  latter  year  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  and 
thence  to  Amity,  Washington  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  died  in  1816. 

Such  was  the  reception  of  the  Boole  of  Mormon 
in  the  vicinity  of  Spalding's  old  home,  when  it  first 
made  its  appearance  among  them. 


THE    SPALDING    ROMANCE.  411 

Aware  of  this  charge  of  plagiarism,  Mr.  Howe 
dispatched  Dr.  Hurlbut  to  Massachusetts,  where 
the  widow  Spalding  (then  Mrs.  Dayison,  having 
remarried),  resided,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
the  Manuscript  Found,  with  which  to  confront 
Mormonism.  He  also  went  among  Spalding' s  old 
neighbors  at  Conneaut,  and  brought  to  Mr.  Howe 
a  large  number  of  testimonials  from  them ;  and  he 
likewise  visited  the  region  around  Palmyra,  Smith's 
former  residence,  and  procured  much  testimony 
showing  the  character  of  the  Smith  family,  and  the 
folly  and  falsity  of  the  prophet's  pretensions. 

In  due  time,  Howe's  Mormonism  Unveiled — 
(Hurlbut's  name  not  appearing  on  its  title  page), 
was  issued ;  but  it  contained  no  citations  from  the 
Manuscript  Found.  A  copy  of  thiswork — a  later 
edition,  printed  in  1840,  with  its  title  changed  to 
History  of  Mormonism — now  lies  before  us.  We 
copy  below  what  its  author  says  about  Spalding's 
romance,  which  will  explain  why  no  extracts  were 
made  from  it : 

16  But  our  inquiries  did  not  terminate  here.  Our 
next  object  was  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  dispo- 
sition Spalding  made  of  his  manuscripts.  For  this 
purpose  a  messenger  was  dispatched  to  look  up  the 
widow  of  Spalding,  who  was  found  residing  in 
Massachusetts.  From  her  we  learned  that  Spald- 
ing resided  in  Pittsburgh  about  two  years,  when 
he  removed  to  Amity,  Washington  County,  Pa., 
where  he  lived  about  two  years,  and  died  in  181ft. 


412  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

His  widow  then  removed  to  Onondaga  County, 
N.  Y.,  married  again,  and  lived  in  Otsego  County, 
and  subsequently  removed  to  Massachusetts.  She 
states  that  Spalding  had  a  great  variety  of  manu- 
scripts, and  recollects  that  one  was  entitled  the 
Manuscript  Found,  but  of  its  contents  she  has  now 
no  distinct  knowledge.  While  they  lived  in  Pitts- 
burgh, she  thinks  it  was  once  taken  to  the  printing 
office  of  Patterson  &  Lambdin ;  but  whether  it  was 
ever  brought  back  to  the  house  again,  she  is  quite 
uncertain;  if  it  was,  however,  it  was  then  with  his 
other  writings,  in  a  trunk  which  she  had  left  in 
Otsego  County,  N.  Y.  This  is  all  the  information 
that  could  be  obtained  from  her,  except  that  Mr. 
Spalding  while  living,  entertained  a  strong  antip- 
athy to  the  Masonic  Institution,  which  may  account 
for  its  being  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Boole 
of  Mormon.  The  fact  also,  that  Spalding,  in  the 
latter  part  of  his  life,  inclined  to  infidelity,  is  estab- 
lished by  a  letter  in  his  hand-writing,  now  in  our 
possession.* 

"  The  trunk  referred  to  by  the  widow,  was  sub- 
sequently examined,  and  found  to  contain  only  a 
single  MS.  book,  in  Spalding' s  hand-writing,  con- 
taining about  one  quire  of  paper.  This  is  a  ro- 
mance, purporting  to  have  been  translated  from  the 
Latin,  found  on  24  rolls  of  parchment,  in  a  cave 
on  the  banks  of  Conneaut  Creek,  but  written  in 
modern  style,  and  giving  a  fabulous  account  of  a 
ship's  being  driven  upon  the  American  coast,  while 
proceeding  from  Rome  to  Britain,  a  short  time  pre- 
vious to  the  Christian  Era,^  this  country  being  then 
inhabited  by  the  Indians.  This  old  MS.  has  been 

*  The  reader  will  have  occasion  to  rememher  this  letter 
hereafter,  as  establishing  an  important  point  in  this  history. 

t  The  reader  will  have  occasion  to  refer  to  this  description, 
given  by  Howe  in  1834,  when  perusing  what  follows  in  a  chap- 
ter further  on. 


THE    SPALDING    ROMANCE.  413 

shown  to  several  of  the  foregoing  witnesses,  who 
recognize  it  as  Spalding's,  he  having  told  them  that 
he  had  altered  his  first  plan  of  writing,  by  going 
further  back  with  dates,  and  writing  in  the  old 
scripture  style,  in  order  that  it  might  appear  more 
ancient.  They  say  that  it  bears  no  resemblance  to 
the  Manuscript  Found." — Howe's  History  of  Mor- 
monism,  p.  287. 

The  reader  will  have  need  to  remember  the  fore- 
going description  of  the  MS.  brought  to  Mr.  Howe 
by  Hurlbut.  It  was  evidently  not  the  work  sought 
for,  and,  of  course,  could  not  be  used,  and,  as 
Spalding's  friends  stated,  bore  no  resemblance  to 
the  Manuscript  Found. 

Hurlbut  has  frequently  stated  that  the  MS.  was 
obtained  from  the  Spalding  family  under  a  promise 
to  return  it.  The  reason  this  was  not  done,  has 
never  been  satisfactorily  explained  by  him  or  Howe. 
That  it  was  not  so  returned  is  to  be  regretted ;  as 
its  return  to  the  family  might  have  been  the  means 
of  turning  their  attention  to  the  other,  ivhich  had 
disappeared,  and  led  to  its  recovery,  or  some  more 
positive  knowledge  concerning  it,  ihan  is  now 
attainable. 

The  surviving  members  of  the  Spalding  family 
have  always  blamed  Hurlbut  (not  knowing  any- 
thing of  Howe  until  latterly)  for  refusing  or  neg- 
lecting to  return  the  MS.,  or  to  respond  when  ad- 
dressed. Both  of  these  gentlemen  have  frequently 
been  addressed  on  the  subject,  and  their  explana- 


414  THE    PEOPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

tion  sought,  by  writers  on  Mormonism  ;  and  it  can- 
not be  denied  that  their  explanations  are  somewhat 
contradictory  and  unsatisfactory.  Some  of  these 
later  replies  we  quote.  In  one  instance,  Dr.  Hurl- 
but  says,  under  date  of  May  7,  1881  :  "  I  never 
had  it  (Manuscript  Found)  in  my  possession.  I 
had  some  of  his  writings,  but  nothing  pertaining 
to  Mormonism."  To  Mrs.  Ellen  E.  Dickinson,  a 
friend  and  relative  of  the  Spal dings,  he  made  a 
sworn  statement  of  similar  purport.  (See  Scr to- 
ner's Magazine,  October,  1881.)  But  she  states 
that  he  subsequently  admitted  to  her,  that  he  just 
peeped  into  the  MS.  and  saw  the  names  of  "  Mo- 
roni," "  Mormon,"  "  Nephi,"  and  "  Lamanite."1 
Here  is  some  error,  certainly,  of  fact  or  memory ; 
for  the  MS.  he  brought  to  Howe  contained  no  one 
of  those  names,  as  will  be  shown  hereafter;  and  of 
all  Spalding's  writings,  they  are  to  be  found  only  in 
the  Manuscript  Found,  and  this  the  doctor  says  he 
never  had.  Another  statement  of  his  we  give  in 
his  own  words,  in  a  letter  to  an  inquirer : 

"  GIBSONBUKG,  O.,  Aug.  19,  1879. 
"  I  visited  Mrs.  Matilda  (Spalding)  Davison  at 
Monson,  Mass.,  in  1834,  and  never  saw  her  after- 
terwards.  I  then  received  from  her  a  manuscript 
of  her  husband's,  which  I  did  not  read,  but  brought 
home  with  me,  and  immediately  gave  it  to  Mr.  E. 
D.  Howe  of  Painesville,  O.,  who  was  then  engaged 
in  preparing  his  book,  Mormonism  Unveiled.  I 
do  not  know  whether  or  not  the  document  I  received 


THE    SPALDING    ROMANCE.  415 

from  Mrs.  Davison,  was  Spalding's  Manuscript 
Found,  as  I  never  read  it;  ?3ut,  whatever  it  was, 
Mr.  Howe  received  it  under  the  condition  on  which 
I  took  it  from  Mrs.  Davison — to  compare  it  with  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  and  then  return  it  to  her.  I 
have  never  received  any  other  MS.  of  Spalding's 
from  Mrs.  Davison  or  any  one  else.  Of  that  man- 
uscript I  made  no  other  use,  than  to  give  it,  with 
all  my  other  documents  connected  with  Mormon- 
ism,  to  Mr.  Howe.  I  did  not  destroy  the  MS.  or 
dispose  of  it  to  Joe  Smith,  or  any  other  person. 
No  promise  was  made  by  nie  to  Mrs.  Davison  that 
she  should  receive  any  portion  of  profits  arising 
from  the  publication  of  the  manuscript,  if  it  should 
be  published.  All  the  affidavits  procured  by  me 
for  Mr.  Howe's  book,  including  all  those  from  Pal- 
myra, N.  Y.,  were  certainly  genuine. 

"  D.  P.  HURLBUT." 

The  latter  portion  of  the  foregoing  has  reference 
to  suspicions  that  had  been  hinted  at,  that  Hurlbut 
had  really  obtained  the  Manuscript  Found,  and 
instead  of  delivering  it  to  Howe,  had  sold  it  to  the 
Mormon  prophet.  There  did  seem  to  be  ground 
for  suspicion  against  one  or  both  of  these  men.  They 
failed  to  return  the  work  as  promised,  or  to  give 
satisfaction  concerning  it ;  and  their  disagreeing 
statements  as  to  how  and  of  whom  it  was  obtained, 
led  the  Spaldings  and  the  public  to  doubt  their  in- 
tegrity. It  is  extremely  remarkable,  too,  that  Dr. 
Hurlbut  should  go  all  the  way  to  Massachusetts,  in 
order  to  obtain  a  certain  manuscript,  that  was  ex- 
pected to  be  the  most  important  thing  of  all,  in  the 
proposed  publication,  and  return  without  knowing 


416  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

whether  the  thing  obtained  was  what  was  wanted. 
A  slight  reading  of  half-a-dozen  pages,  or  even  of 
its  title  page,  would  have  shown  him  whether  it  was 
the  ' '  confounding  of  language  "  contained  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon. 

In  a  late  letter  to  the  writer  of  these  pages,  Mr. 
Howe  says  : 

"  I  know  the  descendants  of  Spalding  are  making 
a  great  blow  about  that  old  MS. ;  but  I  am  as  well 
satisfied  now  as  I  was  then,  that  Hurlbut  never  had 
any  thing  at  all  similar  to  what  was  called  the  Man- 
uscript Found.  All  he  got  of  Spalding's  was  fully 
described  in  my  book,  and  was  in  my  possession  for 
several  years,  and  I  suppose  was  destroyed  by  fire." 

What  the  Spaldings  say  of  the  matter  is  reserved 
for  another  chapter. 


SPALDING    FAMILY    STATEMENTS. 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

STATEMENTS    OF    THE    SPALDING   FAMILY. 


MRS.    DAVISON'S    STATEMENT  —  DENIED   BY  THE 

MRS.  DICKINSON'S  PUBLICATION  IN  "  SCRIBNER'S  MAGA- 
ZINE "—  J.  K.  JOHNSON  IN  '  '  DESERET  NEWS  "  —  DISAGREE- 
ING STATEMENTS. 

THE  first  publication  in  reference  to  the  Spald- 
ing  Romance,  made  by  any  of  the  family,  was  in 
1839.  It  was  written  for  the  Boston  Recorder,  and 
published  in  that  paper  —  purporting  to  emanate 
from  Mrs.  Matilda  Davison,  the  widow  of  Rev. 
Solomon  Spalding.  As  an  important  link  in  the 
chain  of  evidence,  we  give  it  entire  : 

MKS.  (SPALDING)  DAVISON'S  STATEMENT. 

"  Learning  recently  that  Mormonism  has  found 
its  way  into  a  Church  in  Massachusetts,  and  has 
impregnated  some  of  its  members  with  its  gross 
delusions,  so  that  excommunication  has  become 
necessary,  I  am  determined  to  delay  no  longer 
doing  what  I  can  to  strip  the  mask  from  this  mon- 
ster of  sin,  and  to  lay  open  this  pit  of  abominations. 
Rev.  Solomon  Spalding,  to  whom  I  was  united  in 
marriage  in  early  life,  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
College,  and  was  distinguished  for  a  lively  imagin- 
ation and  great  fondness  for  history.  At  the  time 
of  our  marriage  he  resided  in  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y. 
From  this  place  we  removed  to  New  Salem,  Ash- 
tabula  County,  Ohio  —  sometimes  called  Conneaut, 
as  it  is  situated  upon  Conneaut  Creek.  Shortly 


418  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

after  our  removal  to  this  place,  his  health  sunk, 
and  he  was  laid  aside  from  active  labors.  In  the 
town  of  New  Salem  there  were  numerous  mounds 
and  forts,  supposed  by  many  to  be  the  dilapidated 
dwellings  and  fortifications  of  a  race  now  extinct. 
These  ancient  relics  arrest  the  attention  of  the  new 
settlers,  and  become  objects  of  research  for  the 
curious.  Numerous  implements  were  found,  and 
other  articles,  evincing  great  skill  in  the  arts.  Mr. 
Spalding,  being  an  educated  man,  passionately  fond 
of  history,  took  a  lively  interest  in  these  develop- 
ments of  antiquity  ;  and  in  order  to  beguile  the 
hours  of  retirement  and  furnish  employment  for  his 
lively  imagination,  conceived  the  idea  of  giving  an 
historical  sketch  of  this  long  lost  race.  Their  ex- 
treme antiquity  would  of  course  lead  him  to  write 
in  the  most  ancient  style,  and  as  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  the  most  ancient  book  in  the  world,  he 
imitated  its  style  as  nearly  as  possible. 

"  His  sole  object  in  writing  this  historical  ro- 
mance was  to  amuse  himself  and  neighbors.  This 
was  about  the  year  1812.  Hull's  surrender  at  De- 
troit occurred  near  the  same  time,  and  I  recollect 
the  date  well  from  that  circumstance.  As  he  pro- 
gressed in  his  narrative,  the  neighbors  would  come 
in  from  time  to  time  to  hear  portions  read,  and  a 
great  interest  in  the  work  was  excited  among  them. 
It  claimed  to  Jiave  been  written  by  one  of  the  lost 
nation,  and  to  have  been  recovered  from  the  earth, 
and  assumed  the  title  of  Manuscript  Found.  The 
neighbors  would  often  inquire  how  Mr.  S.  progressed 
in  deciphering  the  manuscript ;  and  when  he  had 
a  sufficient  portion  prepared,  he  would  inform  them 
and  they  would  assemble  to  hear  it  read.  He  was 
enabled  from  his  acquaintance  with  the  classics  and 
ancient  history,  to  introduce  many  singular  names, 
which  were  particularly  noticed  by  the  people  and 
could  be  easily  recognized  by  them..  Mr.  Solomon 


SPALDING    FAMILY    STATEMENTS.        419 

Spalding  had  a  brother,  Mr.  John  Spalding,  residing 
in  the  place  at  the  time,  who  was  perfectly  familiar 
with  this  work,  and  repeatedly  heard  the  whole  of 
it  read.  From  New  Salem  we  removed  to  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.  Here  Mr.  Spalding  found  an  acquaint- 
ance and  friend,  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Patterson,  an 
editor  of  a  newspaper.  He  exhibited  his  manu- 
script to  Mr.  Patterson,  who  was  very  much  pleased 
with  it,  and  borrowed  it  for  perusal.  He  retained 
it  a  long  time,  and  informed  Mr.  S.  that  if  he  would 
make  out  a  title  page  and  preface,  he  would  publish 
it,  and  it  might  be  a  source  of  profit.  This  Mr.  S. 
refused  to  do,  for  reasons  I  cannot  now  state. 

'•  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  has  figured  so  largely  in 
the  history  of  the  Mormons,  was  at  this  time  con- 
nected with  the  printing  office  of  Mr.  Patterson,  as 
is  well-known  in  that  region,  and  as  Rigdon  him- 
self has  frequently  stated.  Here  he  had  ample 
opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  Mr.  Spald- 
ing's  manuscript,  and  to  copy  it  if  he  chose.  It 
was  a  matter  of  notoriety  and  interest  to  all  who 
were  connected  with  the  printing  establishment. 
At  length  the  manuscript  was  returned  to  the  au- 
thor, and  soon  after  we  removed  to  Amity,  Wash- 
ington County,  Pa.,  where  Mr.  Spalding  deceased 
in  1816.  The  manuscript  fell  into  my  hands  and 
was  carefully  preserved.  It  has  frequently  been 
examined  by  my  daughter,  Mrs.  McKinstry  of  Mon- 
son,  Mass.,  with  whom  I  now  reside,  and  by  other 
friends.  After  the  Book  of  Mormon  came  out,  a 
copy  of  it  was  taken  to  New  Salem,  the  place  of 
Mr.  Spalding's  former  residence ,  and  the  very  place 
where  the  Manuscript  Found  was  written. 

66  A  woman  preacher  appointed  a  meeting  there 
(New  Salem) ,  and  in  the  meeting  read  and  repeated 
copious  extracts  from  the  Book  of  Mormon.  The 
historical  part  was  immediately  recognized  by  all  the 
older  inhabitants  as  the  identical  work  of  Mr 


420  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

Spalding,  in  which  they  had  been  so  deeply  interested 
years  before.  Mr.  John  Spalding  was  present,  who 
is  an  eminently  pious  man,  and  recognized  perfectly 
the  work  of  his  brother.  He  was  amazed  and 
afflicted,  that  it  should  have  beea  perverted  to  so 
wicked  a  purpose.  His  grief  found  vent  in  a  flood 
of  tears,  and  he  expressed  in  the  meeting  his  deep 
sorrow  and  regret  that  the  writings  of  his  sainted 
brother  should  be  used  for  a  purpose  so  vile  and 
shocking.  The  excitement  in  New  Salem  became 
so  great,  that  the  inhabitants  had  a  meeting  and 
deputed  Dr.  Philastus  Hurlbut,  one  of  their  number, 
to  repair  to  this  place,  and  to  obtain  from  me  the 
original  manuscript  of  Mr.  Spalding,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  comparing  it  with  the  Mormon  Bible,  to 
satisfy  their  own  minds,  and  to  prevent  their  friends 
and  others  from  embracing  an  error  so  delusive. 
This  was  in  the  year  1834.  Dr.  Hurlbut  brought 
with  him  an  introduction  and  request  for  the  man- 
uscript, signed  by  Messrs.  Henry  Lake,  Aaron 
Wright,  and  others,  with  all  of  whom  I  was  ac- 
quainted, as  they  were  my  neighbors  when  I  re- 
sided at  New  Salem.  I  am  sure  that  nothing  could 
have  given  my  husband  more  pain,  were  he  living, 
than  the  use  which  has  been  made  of  his  work. 

"  The  air  of  antiquity  which  was  thrown  about 
the  composition,  doubtless  suggested  the  idea  of 
converting  it  to  purposes  of  delusion.  Thus  an 
historical  romance,  with  the  addition  of  a  few 
pious  expressions,  and  extracts  from  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  has  been  construed  into  a  New  Bible, 
and  palmed  oif  upon  a  company  of  poor  deluded 
fanatics,  as  divine.  I  have  given  the  previous  brief 
narration,  that  this  work  of  deception  and  wicked- 
ness may  be  searched  to  the  foundation,  and  its 
author  exposed  to  the  contempt  and  execration  he 
so  justly  deserves. 

"  MATILDA  DAVISON." 


SPALDING    FAMILY    STATEMENTS.       421 

The  foregoing  was  accompanied  by  a  certificate 
of  good  character,  etc.,  from  Rev.  A.  Ely,  D.D., 
Pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  D.  R. 
Austin,  Principal  of  Monson  Academy,  Monson, 
Mass.,  under  date  of  April  1,  1839.  The  Mormons 
met  this  by  a  statement,  that,  on  being  interviewed 
two  or  three  years  later,  Mrs.jDavison  denied  having 
written  such  a  letter ;  stating  that  it  was  the  work 
of  Professor  Austin  himself,  after  a  conversation 
with  her  on  the  subject ;  though  she  affirmed  that 
what  was  written  "  was  in  the  main  true." — Times 
and  /Seasons,  vol.  i.  p.  47. 

This  statement  of  Mrs.  Davison's  was  made  five 
years  after  the  interview  with  Dr.  Hurlbut,  and  but 
nine  years  after  the  events  she  mentions  as  occurring 
at  New  Salem.  While  portions  of  her  story  are 
based  upon  her  own  knowledge,  other  portions 
depend,  of  course,  upon  the  statements  of  others. 
It  is  just  such  a  narrative  as  a  wife  might  be  ex- 
pected to  make,  who  retained  a  reverence  and  affec- 
tion for  a  deceased  husband  and  a  partiality  for  his 
writings.  Some  of  her  statements  may  have  been, 
however,  founded  in  error,  as  they  are  not  all  borne 
out  by  subsequent  developments.  The  Mormons 
contradict  her  statement,  concerning  the  "  woman 
preacher  "  reading  from  the  Book  of  Mormon  in 
a  public  meeting,  by  the  declaration  that  they  never 
had  a  woman  preacher  among  them.  True ;  but 


422  THE   PROPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 

she  does  not  say  it  was  a  Mormon  preacher.  New 
Salem  is  in  the  midst  of  Quaker  settlements,  and 
they  have  women  preachers  among  them ;  and  it 
may  have  been  one  of  these,  who,  in  the  meeting, 
was  exposing  the  wickedness  of  the  fraud. 

In  corroboration  of  Mrs.  Davison's  statements, 
Mrs.  Ellen  E.  Dickinson,  a  relative  of  the  Spalding 
family,  published  in  Scribner's  Magazine  for  Au^ 
gust,  1880,  a  paper  on  the  Book  of  Mormon , 
which  is  reproduced  below  : 

"  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  April  3,  1880. 

"  So  much  has  been  published  that  is  erroneous 
concerning  the  Manuscript  found,  written  by  my 
father,  the  Rev.  Solomon  Spaulding,  and  its  sup- 
posed connection  with  the  book  called  the  Mormon 
Bible,  I  have  willingly  consented  to  make  the  fol- 
lowing statement  regarding  it,  repeating  all  that  I 
remember  personally  of  this  manuscript,  and  all 
that  is  of  importance  which  my  mother  related  to 
me  in  connection  with  it,  at  the  same  time  affirming 
that  I  am  in  tolerable  health,  and  vigor,  and  that 
my  memory,  in  common  with  elderly  people,  is 
clearer  in  regard  to  the  events  of  my  earlier  years, 
rather  than  those  of  my  maturer  life. 

"  During  the  war  of  1812, 1  was  residing  with  my 
parents  in  a  little  town  in  Ohio  called  Conneaut. 
I  was  then  in  my  sixth  year.  My  father  was  in 
business  there,  and  I  remember  his  iron  foundry 
and  the  men  he  had  at  work,  but  that  he  remained 
at  home  most  of  the  time,  and  was  reading  and 
writing  a  great  deal.  He  frequently  wrote  little 
stories,  which  he  read  to  me.  There  were  some 
round  mounds  of  earth  near  our  house  which  greatly 
interested  him,  and  he  said  a  tree  on  the  top  of  one 


SPALDING    FAMILY   STATEMENTS.       423 

of  them  was  a  thousand  years  old.  He  set  some  of 
his  men  to  work  digging  into  one  of  these  mounds, 
and  I  vividly  remember  how  excited  he  became 
when  he  heard  that  they  had  exhumed  some  human 
bones,  portions  of  gigantic  skeletons,  and  various 
relics.  He  talked  with  my  mother  of  these  discov- 
eries in  the  mound,  and  was  writing  every  day  as 
the  work  progressed.  Afterward  he  read  the  man- 
uscript which  I  had  seen  him  writing,  to  the  neigh- 
bors, and  to  a  clergyman,  a  friend  of  his  who  came 
to  see  him.  Some  of  the  names  that  he  mentioned 
while  reading  to  these  people  I  have  never  forgot- 
ten. They  are  as  fresh  to  me  to-day  as  though 
I  heard  them  yesterday.  They  were  « Mormon,' 
«  MaroniJ  '  LameniteJ  i  Neplii? 

"  We  removed  from  Conneaut  to  Pittsburg 
while  I  was  still  very  young,  but  every  circumstance 
of  this  removal  is  distinct  in  my  memory.  In  that 
city  my  father  had  an  intimate  friend  named  Pat- 
terson, and  I  frequently  visited  Mr.  Patterson's 
library  with  him,  and  heard  my  father  talk  about 
books  with  him.  In  1816  my  father  died  at  Amity, 
Pennsylvania,  and  directly  after  his  death  my  mother 
and  myself  went  to  visit  at  the  residence  of  my 
mother's  brother,  William  H.  Sabine,  at  Onondaga 
Valley,  Onondaga  County,  New  York.  Mr.  Sabine 
was  a  lawyer  of  distinction  and  wealth,  and  greatly 
respected.  We  carried  all  our  personal  effects  with 
us,  and  one  of  these  was  an  old  trunk,  in  which  my 
mother  had  placed  all  my  father's  writings  which 
had  been  preserved.  I  perfectly  remember  the 
appearance  of  this  trunk,  and  of  looking  at  its  con- 
tents. There  were  sermons  and  other  papers,  and 
I  saw  a  manuscript  about  an  inch  thick,  closely 
written,  tied  with  some  of  the  stories  my  father  had 
written  for  me,  one  of  which  he  called  *  The  Frogs 
ofWyndham.'  On  the  outside  of  this  manuscript  was 
written  the  words,  'Manuscript  Found.'  I  did  not 


424  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

read  it,  but  looked  through  it  and  had  it  in  my  hands 
many  times,  and  saw  the  names  I  had  heard  at  Con- 
neaut,  when  my  father  read  it  to  his  friends.  I  was 
about  eleven  years  of  age  at  this  time. 

"  After  we  had  been  at  my  uncle's  for  some  time, 
my  mother  left  me  there  and  went  to  her  father's 
house  at  Pomfret,  Connecticut,  but  did  not  take  her 
furniture  nor  the  old  trunk  of  manuscripts  with  her. 
In  1820  she  married  Mr.  Davison,  of  Hart  wicks,  a 
village  near  Cooperstown,  New  York,  and  sent  for 
the  things  she  had  left  at  Onondaga  Valley,  and  I 
remember  that  the  old  trunk,  with  its  contents, 
reached  her  in  safety.  In  1828,  I  was  married  to 
Dr.  A.  McKinstry,  of  Hampden  County,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  went  there  to  reside.  Very  soon 
after  my  mother  joined  me  there,  and  was  with  me 
most  of  the  time  until  her  death  in  1844.  We  heard , 
not  long  after  she  came  to  live  with  me — I  do  not 
remember  just  how  long — something  of  Mormon- 
ism,  and  the  report  that  it  had  been  taken  from  my 
father's  Manuscript  Found;  and  then  came  to  us 
direct  an  account  of  the  Mormon  meeting  at  Con- 
neaut,  Ohio,  and  that,  on  one  occasion,  when 
the  Mormon  Bible  was  read  there  in  public, 
my  father's  brother,  John  Spaulding,  Mr.  Lake 
and  many  other  persons  who  were  present,  at  once 
recognized  its  similarity  to  the  Manuscript  Foud, 
which  they  had  heard  read  years  before  by  my  father 
in  the  same  town.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  and 
a  great  deal  published  at  this  time  about  Mormon- 
ism  all  over  the  country.  I  believe  it  was  in  1834 
that  a  man  named  Hurlburt  came  to  my  house  at 
Monson  to  see  my  mother,  who  told  us  that  he  had 
been  sent  by  a  committee  to  procure  the  Manuscript 
Found,  written  by  the  Rev.  Solomon  Spaulding, 
so  as  to  compare  it  with  the  Mormon  Bible.  He 
presented  a  letter  to  my  mother  from  my  uncle, 
William  H.  Sabine,  of  Onondaga  Valley,  in  which  he 


SPALDINQ    FAMILY   STATEMENTS       425 

requested  her  to  loan  this  manuscript  to  Hurlburt, 
as  he  (my  uncle)  was  desirous  to  '  uproot '  (as  he 
expressed  it)  « this  Mormon  fraud.'  Hurlburt  repre- 
sented that  he  had  been  a  convert  to  Mormonism, 
but  had  given  it  up,  and  through  the  Manuscript 
Found  wished  to  expose  its  wickedness.  My 
mother  was  careful  to  have  me  with  her  in  all  the 
conversations  she  had  with  Hurlburt,  who  spent  a 
day  at  my  house.  She  did  not  like  his  appearance, 
and  mistrusted  his  motives,  but  having  great  respect 
for  her  brother's  wishes  and  opinions,  she  reluc- 
tantly consented  to  his  request.  The  old  trunk, 
containing  the  desired  Manuscript  Found  she  had 
placed  in  the  care  of  Mr.  Jerome  Clark,  of  Hail- 
wicks,  when  she  came  to  Monson,  intending  to  send 
for  it.  On  the  repeated  promise  of  Huiiburt  to  re- 
turn the  manuscript  to  us,  she  gave  him  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Clark  to  open  the  trunk  and  deliver  it  to  him. 
We  afterward  heard  that  he  did  receive  it  from  Mr. 
Clark,  at  Hartwicks,  but  from  that  time  we  have 
never  had  it  in  our  possession,  and  I  have  no  pres- 
ent knowledge  of  its  existence,  Hurlburt  never  re- 
turning it  or  answering  letters  requesting  him  to  do 
so.  Two  years  ago  I  heard  he  was  still  living  in 
Ohio,  and  with  my  consent  he  was  asked  for  the 
Manuscript  Found.  He  made  no  response,  although 
we  have  evidence  that  he  received  the  letter  con- 
taining the  request.  So  far  I  have  stated  facts 
within  my  knowledge.  My  mother  mentioned  many 
other  circumstances  to  me  in  connection  with  this 
subject  which  are  interesting,  of  my  father's  literary 
tastes,  his  fine  education  and  peculiar  temperament. 
She  stated  to  me  that  she  had  heard  the  manuscript 
alluded  to  read  by  my  father,  was  familiar  with  its 
contents,  and  she  deeply  regretted  that  her  hus- 
band, as  she  believed,  had  innocently  been  the 
means  of  furnishing  matter  for  a  religious  delusion. 
She  said  that  my  father  loaned  this  Manuscript  Found 


426  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

to  Mr.  Patterson,  of  Pittsburg,  and  that  when  he 
returned  it  to  my  father,  he  said :  «  Polish  it  up, 
finish  it,  and  you  will  make  money  out  of  it.'  My 
mother  confirmed  my  remembrances  of  my  father's 
fondness  for  history,  and  told  me  of  his  frequent 
conversations  regarding  a  theory  which  he  had  of  a 
prehistoric  race  which  had  inhabited  this  continent, 
etc.,  all  showing  that  his  mind  dwelt  on  this  subject. 
The  Manuscript  Found,  she  said,  was  a  romance 
written  in  Biblical  style,  and  that  while  she  heard 
it  read  she  had  no  especial  admiration  for  it  more 
than  other  romances  he  wrote  and  read  to  her.  We 
never,  either  of  us,  ever  saw,  or  in  any  way  com- 
municated with  the  Mormons,  save  Hurlburt,  as 
above  described ;  and  while  we  have  no  personal 
knowledge  that  the  Mormon  Bible  was  taken  from 
the  Manuscript  Found,  there  were  many  evidences 
to  us  that  it  was,  and  that  Hurlburt  and  others  at 
the  time  thought  so.  A  convincing  proof  to  us  of 
this  belief  was  that  my  uncle,  William  H.  Sabine, 
had  undoubtedly  read  the  manuscript  while  it  was 
in  his  house,  and  his  faith  that  its  production  would 
show  to  the  world  that  the  Mormon  Bible  had  been 
taken  from  it,  or  was  the  same  with  slight  altera- 
tions. I  have  frequently  answered  questions  that 
have  been  asked  by  different  persons  regarding  the 
Manuscript  Found,  but  until  now  have  never  made 
a  statement  at  length  for  publication. 
"  (Signed), 

"  M.  S.  McKlNSTEY. 

"  Sworn  and  subscribed  to  before  me  this  3d 
day  of  April,  A.D.  1880,  at  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

"  CHARLES  WALTER, 
"  Notary  Public.  " 

This  statement  by  Mrs.  McKinstry  was  com- 
municated to  the  Salt  Lake  Deseret  News,  in  De- 


SPALDING  FAMILY  STATEMENTS.          427 

cember,  1880,  in  a  letter  of  which  the  following  is 
a  copy : 

"ST.  GEORGE,  UTAH, 

"  December  28,  1880. 
"  Editor  Deseret  News: 

"  We  enclose  affidavit  of  Mrs.  McKinstiy,  from 
Scribner's  August  number,  bringing  to  light  an  im- 
portant fact  in  regard  to  the  relation  of  Solomon 
Spaulding's  Manuscript  Found  and  the  Book  of 
Mormon.  At  an  early  day  it  was  asserted  by  the 
enemies  of  the  Church,  that  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  copied  from,  or  founded  on,  the  manuscript  of 
Spaulding,  and  year  after  year  new  recruits  have 
appeared  and  made  unproved  assertions  to  this  same 
statement,  and  here  is  the  last,  with  an  appearance 
of  being  substantiated — but  really  acting  just  the 
reverse  of  what  was  intended. 

44  It  would  be  ridiculous  to  suppose  that  man, 
woman  or  child,  could  thoughtlessly  listen  to  the 
reading  of  a  book  or  manuscript  in  1812  and  then 
in  1834  or  1880,  be  able  to  say  with  the  least  pros- 
pect of  fact,  on  reading  the  Book  of  Mormon,  that 
names  and  incidents  were  the  same.  But  the  facts 
are  clear  and  startling,  that  in  1834  Dr.  Hurlburt 
did  write  a  book  claiming  to  expose  Mormonism — 
that  he  went  east  to  obtain  the  Manuscript  Found 
— that  he  absolutely  obtained  the  work — that 
when  he  returned  he  declared  he  could  not  find  it 
— and  that  his  book  was  published  without  a  sen- 
tence copied  from  Manuscript  Found. 

"  These  facts,  when  coupled,  should  prove  to 
any  reasonable  mind  that  the  publishers  of  the  first 
book  exposing  Mormonism  well  knew  that  their 
pretenses  were  false,  and  that  Manuscript  Found 
would  never  do  as  a  foundation  even  for  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  and  so  fearing  their  falsehood  might 
be  brought  to  light,  probably  destroyed  it.  Dr. 


428  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

Hurlburt's  book  is  still  extant  in  many  libraries,  and 
doubtless  a  copy  may  be  found  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
In  A.D.  1834, 1  was  17  years  old,  and  well  remem- 
ber Dr.  Hurlburt  from  the  time  he  first  came  to 
Kirtland  and  was  fully  acquainted  with  him  till  after 
his  book  was  published. 

"  In  the  year  A.D.  1833,  then  living  in  Kirtland, 
Ohio,  I  became  acquainted  with  a  man  subsequently 
known  as  Dr.  Hurlburt,  who  came  to  investigate  the 
truth  of  Mormonism.  Claiming  to  be  satisfied,  he 
was  baptized  and  became  a  member  in  full  fellowship. 
He  was  a  man  of  fine  physique,  very  pompous,  good 
looking  and  very  ambitious,  with  some  energy, 
though  of  poor  education.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
he  came  to  my  mother's  house  to  board,  where  he 
remained  for  nearly  a  year,  while  he  made  an  effort 
to  get  into  a  good  practice  of  medicine,  sought 
position  in  the  Church,  and  was  ever  stirring  to 
make  marital  connection  with  any  of  the  '  first  fam- 
ilies.' 

"Finally  in  1834  he  was  charged  with  illicit 
intercourse  with  the  sex,  was  tried  and  cut  off  from 
the  Church.  He  denied,  expostulated,  threatened, 
but  to  no  use,  the  facts  were  too  apparent,  and  he 
at  once  vowed  himself  the  enemy  of  the  Church — 
threatened  to  write  a  book  that  would  annihilate 
Mormonism,  and  went  to  Painesville,  ten  miles,  and 
allied  himself  to  a  publisher  there  who  agreed  to  print 
his  book  if  he  would  furnish  the  matter.  A  fund 
was  raised  by  the  '  Anti-Mormons  '  in  the  village 
around,  and  enough  means  raised  to  send  Hurlburt 
east  to  hunt  up  and  obtain  the  writings  of  Solomon 
Spaulding,  called  Manuscript  Found,  which  had  al- 
ready become  famous  as  the  alleged  matter  from 
which  the  Boole  of  Mormon  was  written. 

'  <  Hurlburt  went  east  and  was  absent  some  two  or 
three  months — and  on  his  return  publicly  declared 
that  he  could  not  obtain  it,  but  instead  brought 


SPALDING    FAMILY   STATEMENTS.       429 

oral  affidavits  from  persons  who  claimed  to  have  heard 
Solomon  Spaulding  read  his  Manuscript  Found 
in  1812,  and  believed  as  well  as  they  could  remem- 
ber that  the  matter  and  story  was  the  same  as  printed 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  And  these  were  pub- 
lished in  his  book  of  Mormonism  Exposed,  in  that 
or  the  subsequent  year,  but  not  a  sentence  from 
the  Manuscript  Found,  which  it  appears  by  the 
above  that  he  did  really  obtain,  but  finding  no  sim- 
ilarity between  the  two,  suppressed  the  Spaulding 
manuscript,  while  he  publicly  announced  in  his 
book  that  he  had  entirely  failed  to  obtain  it.  Hurl- 
burt  proved  himself  to  be  a  man  of  gross  immorality, 
untruthful  and  unreliable. 

"  According  to  the  sworn  statement  of  M.  S. 
McKinstry,  Dr.  Hurlburt  did  obtain  the  Manuscript 
Found,  and  the  only  conclusion  that  can  be  rea- 
sonable is,  that  finding  it  would  spoil  his  case  and 
ruin  his  purposes,  that  manuscript  was  destroyed 
or  suppressed,  and  may  never  come  to  the  light, 
as  it  seems  he  still  refuses  to  return  it  to  the  owners, 
no  doubt  fearing  it  would  bring  to  light  his  false- 
hood and  villainy. 

"  J.  E.  JOHNSON." 

And  to  Mr.  Johnson's  communication  the  Salt 
Lake  editor  adds  the  following  comment : 

"  The  affidavit  of  Mrs.  McKinstry  is  valuable 
because  it  establishes  several  points.  First,  that 
Spaulding's  manuscript  was  but  a  small  affair  com- 
pared with  the  book  that  is  said  to  have  been  writ- 
ten from  it — it  was  but  an  inch  thick  of  written, 
not  printed,  matter.  Second,  that  it  was  only  out 
of  the  author's  hands  a  short  time,  and  that  as  far 
back  as  1812.  Third,  that  afterwards  it  was  in 
Mrs.  Spaulding's  possession  until  Hurlburt  obtained 
it,  and  therefore  could  not  have  been  used  by  Jo- 
seph Smith.  Fourth,  that  Hurlburt  never  produced 


430  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

it,  which  he  would  have  done  if  there  had  been 
any  similarity  between  it  and  the  Boole  of  Mor- 
mon. Fifth,  that  the  supposed  identity  of  a  few 
names  in  the  two  works  depends  on  the  memory 
of  an  old  lady  of  74,  of  what  took  place  when  she 
was  six  years  old. 

''Against  a  mere  supposition,  unsupported  by 
the  slightest  evidence,  of  some  mysterious  connec- 
tion between  this  manuscript  and  Joseph  Smith — 
who  never  saw  Spaulding  or  his  people — is  the  tes- 
timony of  thousands  to  whom  God  has  given  a 
witness  of  the  truth  of  the  Boole  of  Mormon,  as 
well  as  the  testimony  of  the  eleven  who  saw  and 
handled  the  plates  and  of  the  three  who  were 
shown  them  by  Divine  Power  and  angelic  hands, 
and  to  whom  the  voice  of  God  bore  record.  Need 
anything  more  be  said  on  the  subject  ?  " 

It  will  be  observed  that  there  is  a  disagreement 
between  the  statements  made  by  the  Spaldings, 
and  those  made  by  Howe  and  Hurlbut.  We  are 
inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  former  were  mis- 
taken, and  that  the  facts,  as  related  by  the  latter, 
are  substantially  correct.  Recent  developments 
go  to  show  this.  Though  whether  Hurlbut  did  or 
did  not  obtain  the  Manuscript  Found,  and  bring  it  to 
Ohio,  has  but  little  bearing  on  the  main  question — , 
which  the  next  chapter  will  show. 


THE    SPALDINQ     WITNESSES.  431 

CHAPTER    XLIIL 

THE    SPALDING  WITNESSES. 

STATEMENT  OF  JOHN  SPALDING — OF  MARTHA  SPALDING — OF 
HENRY  LAKE — JOHN  ST.  MILLER — AARON  WRIGHT — OLIVE 
SMITH — NAHUM  HOWARD — ARTEMUS  CUNNINGHAM. 

HOWE'S  book,  Mormonism  Unveiled,  is  the  work 
referred  to  by  Johnson.  Hurlbut  had,  in  addition 
to  his  labor  of  procuring  Spalding's  manuscript, 
also  gone  among  his  old  friends  and  neighbors 
about  Conneaut,  and  procured  a  number  of  testi- 
monials from  them.  These  were  published  in 
Howe's  book.  As  they  relate  to  the  main  features 
of  the  controversy,  and  as  that  valuable  work  is 
long  since  out  of  print,  there  can  be  no  apology 
needed  for  their  introduction  here.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  they  were  obtained  in  1833,  about 
seventeen  years  after  Solomon  Spalding's  death, 
three  years  only  after  the  publication  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  and  about  twenty  years  after  Manu- 
script Found  had  been  written. 

JOHN  SPALDING, 

The  brother  of  Solomon  Spalding,  says,  after  detail- 
ing incidents  of  his  brother's  youth,  etc.  : 

"  .  .  .  In  a  few  years  he  failed  in  business, 
and  in  the  year  1809  removed  to  Conneaut,  in 


432  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYEA. 

Ohio.  The  year  following  I  removed  to  Ohio,  and 
found  him  engaged  in  building  a  forge.  I  made 
him  a  visit  in  about  three  years  after ;  and  found 
that  he  had  failed,  and  was  considerably  involved 
in  debt.  He  then  told  me  he  had  been  writing  a 
book,  which  he  intended  to  have  printed,  the  avails 
of  which  he  thought  would  enable  him  to  pay  all 
his  debts.  The  book  was  entitled  the  Manuscript 
Found,  of  which  he  read  to  me  many  passages. 
It  was  an  historical  romance  of  the  first  settlers  of 
America,  endeavoring  to  show  that  the  American 
Indians  are  the  descendants  of  the  Jews,  or  lost 
tribes.  It  gave  a  detailed  account  of  their  journey 
from  Jerusalem,  by  land  and  sea,  till  they  arrived 
in  America,  under  the  command  of  NEPHI  and 
LEHI.  They  afterwards  had  quarrels  and  conten- 
tions, and  separated  into  two  distinct  nations,  one 
of  which  he  denominated  Nephites  and  the  other 
Lamanites.  Cruel  and  bloody  wars  ensued,  in 
which  great  multitudes  were  slain.  They  buried 
their  dead  in  large  heaps,  which  caused  the  mounds 
so  common  in  this  country.  Their  arts,  sciences 
and  civilization  were  brought  into  view,  in  order  to 
account  for  all  the  curious  antiquities,  found  in 
various  parts  of  North  and  South  America.  I  have 
recently  read  the  Book  of  Mormon ,  and  to  my 
great  surprise  I  find  nearly  the  same  historical  mat- 
ter, names,  etc.,  as  they  were  in  my  brother's 
writings.  I  well  remember  that  he  wrote  in  the 
old  style,  and  commenced  about  every  sentence 
with  <  and  it  came  to  pass,'  or  «  now  it  came  to 
pass,'  the  same  as  in  the  Boole  of  Mormon ;  and 
according  to  my  best  recollection  and  belief,  it  is 
the  same  as  my  brother  Solomon  wrote,  with  the 
exception  of  the  religious  matter.  By  what  means 
it  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  I 
am  unable  to  determine. 

"  JOHN  SPALDING," 


THE    SPALDING    WITNESSES.  433 

MARTHA  SPALDING, 
The  wife  of  John  Spalding,  says  : 

"  I  was  personally  acquainted  with  Solomon 
Spalding  about  twenty  years  ago.  I  was  at  his 
house  a  short  time  before  he  left  Conneaut ;  he 
was  then  writing  a  historical  novel  founded  upon 
the  first  settlers  of  America.  He  represented  them 
as  an  enlightened  and  war-like  people.  He  had  for 
many  years  contended  that  the  aborigines  of  Amer- 
ica were  the  descendants  of  some  of  the  lost  tribes 
of  Israel,  and  this  idea  he  carried  out  in  the  book 
in  question.  The  lapse  of  time  which  has  inter- 
vened, prevents  my  recollecting  but  few  of  the 
leading  incidents  of  his  writings  ;  but  the  names  of 
Nephi  and  Lehi  are  yet  fresh  in  my  memory,  as  being 
the  principal  heroes  of  his  tale.  They  were  officers 
of  the  company  which  first  came  off  from  Jerusalem. 
He  gave  a  particular  account  of  their  journey  by 
land  and  sea,  till  they  arrived  in  America,  after 
which  disputes  arose  between  the  chiefs,  which 
caused  them  to  separate  into  different  bands,  one  of 
which  was  called  Lamanites  and  the  other  Nephites. 
Between  these  were  recorded  tremendous  battles, 
which  frequently  covered  the  ground  with  the  slain  ; 
and  their  being  buried  in  large  heaps  was  the  cause 
of  the  numerous  mounds  in  the  country.  Some  of 
ihese  people  he  represented  as  being  very  large.  I 
hfwe  read  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  has 
brought  fresh  to  my  recollection  the  writings  of 
Solomon  Spalding  ;  and  I  have  no  manner  of  doubt 
that  the  historical  part  of  it  is  the  same  that  I  read 
and  heard,  more  than  twenty  years  ago.  The  old, 
obsolete  style,  and  the  phrases  of  «  and  it  came  to 
pass/  etc.,  are  the  same. 

"  MARTHA  SPALDING." 


434  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

HENRY  LAKE'S  STATEMENT. 

"  Conneaut,  Ashtabula  Co.,  0., 

"September,  1833. 

"  I  left  the  State  of  New  York  late  in  the  year 
1810,  and  arrived  at  this  place  about  the  first  of 
January  following.  Soon  after  my  arrival  I  formed 
a  copartnership  with  Solomon  Spalding,  for  the 
purpose  of  rebuilding  a  forge  which  he  had  com- 
menced a  year  or  two  before.  He  very  frequently 
read  to  me  from  a  manuscript  which  he  was  writing, 
which  he  entitled  the  Manuscript  Found,  and  which 
he  represented  as  being  found  in  this  town.  I 
spent  many  hours  in  hearing  him  read  said  writings, 
and  became  well  acquainted  with  its  contents.  He 
wished  me  to  assist  him  in  getting  his  production 
printed,  alleging  that  a  book  of  that  kind  would 
meet  with  a  rapid  sale.  I  designed  doing  so,  but 
the  forge  not  meeting  our  anticipations,  we  failed 
in  business,  when  I  declined  having  any  thing  to 
do  with  the  publication  of  the  book.  This  book 
represented  the  American  Indians  as  the  descend- 
ants of  the  lost  tribes,  gave  an  account  of  their 
leaving  Jerusalem,  their  contentions  and  wars, 
which  were  many  and  great.  One  time,  when  he 
was  reading  to  me  the  tragic  account  of  Laban,  I 
pointed  out  to  him  what  I  considered  an  inconsist- 
ency, which  he  promised  to  correct ;  but  by  referring 
to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  I  find  to  my  surprise  that 
it  stands  there  just  as  he  read  it  to  me  then.  Some 
months  ago  I  borrowed  the  Golden  Bible,  put  it  into 
my  pocket,  carried  it  home,  and  thought  no  more  of 
it.  About  a  week  after,  my  wife  found  the  book  in 
my  coat  pocket  as  it  hung  up,  and  commenced  read- 
ing it  aloud  as  I  lay  upon  the  bed.  She  had  not 
read  twenty  minutes  till  I  was  astonished  to  find 
the  same  passages  in  it  that  Spalding  had  read  to 
me  more  than  twenty  years  before,  from  his  Man- 


THE    SPALDING    WITNESSES.  435 

uscript  Found.  Since  that  I  have  more  fully  ex- 
amined the  said  Golden  Bible,  and  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  saying  that  the  historical  part  of  it  is  prin- 
cipally, if  not  wholly,  taken  from  the  Manuscript 
Found.  I  well  recollect  telling  Mr.  Spaulding, 
that  the  so  frequent  use  of  the  words  '  And  it  came 
to  pass,'  *  Now  it  came  to  pass,'  etc.,  rendered  it 
ridiculous.  Spaiding  left  here  in  1812,  and  I  fur- 
nished him  the  means  to  carry  him  to  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  said  he  would  get  the  book  printed, 
and  pay  me.  But  I  never  heard  any  more  from 
him  or  his  writings,  till  I  saw  them  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon. 

66  HENRY  LAKE." 

JOHN  N.  MILLER. 
Springfield,  Pa.,  September,  1833. 

"  In  the  year  1811 1  was  in  the  employ  of  Henry 
Lake  and  Solomon  Spaiding  at  Conneaut,  engaged 
in  rebuilding  a  forge.  While  there  I  boarded  and 
lodged  in  the  family  of  said  Spaiding,  for  several 
months.  I  was  soon  introduced  to  the  manuscripts  of 
Spaiding,  and  perused  them  as  often  as  I  had  leisure. 
He  had  written  two  or  three  books  or  pamphlets  on 
different  subjects  ;  but  that  which  more  particularly 
drew  my  attention,  was  one  which  he  called  the  Man- 
uscript Found.  From  this  he  would  frequently  read 
some  humorous  passage  to  the  company  present.  It 
purported  to  be  the  history  of  the  first  settlement 
of  America  before  discovered  by  Columbus.  He 
brought  them  off  from  Jerusalem  under  their  lead- 
ers ;  detailing  their  travels  by  land  and  water,  their 
manners,  customs,  laws,  wars,  etc.  He  said  that 
he  designed  it  as  a  historical  novel,  and  that  in  after 
years  it  would  be  believed  by  many  people  as  much 
as  the  history  of  England.  He  soon  after  failed 
in  business,  and  told  me  he  should  retire  from  the 


436  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

din  of  his  creditors,  finish  his  book,  and  have  it 
published,  which  would  enable  him  to  pay  his  debts 
and  support  his  family.  He  soon  after  removed  to 
Pittsburgh,  as  I  understood. 

I  have  recently  examined  the  Boole  of  Mormon, 
and  find  in  it  the  writings  of  Solomon  Spalding, 
from  beginning  to  end,  but  mixed  up  with  Script- 
ure and  other  religious  matter,  which  I  did  not 
meet  with  in  the  Manuscript  Found.  Many  of  the 
passages  in  the  Mormon  book  are  verbatim  from 
Spalding,  and  others  in  part.  The  names  of  Nephi, 
Lehi,  Moroni,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  principal  names, 
are  brought  fresh  to  my  recollection  by  the  Gold 
Bible.  When  Spalding  divested  his  history  of  its 
fabulous  names,  by  a  verbal  explanation,  he  landed 
his  people  near  the  straits  of  Darien,  which  I  am 
very  confident  he  called  Zarahemla;  they  were 
marched  about  that  country  for  a  length  of  time, 
in  which  wars  and  great  bloodshed  ensued, — he 
brought  them  across  North  America  in  a  north-east 
direction. 

"  JOHN  N.  MILLER." 

AARON  WRIGHT'S  STATEMENT. 

Conneaut,  August,  1833. 

< '  I  first  became  acquainted  with  Solomon  Spalding 
in  1808  or  '9,  when  he  commenced  building  a  forge 
on  Conneaut  Creek.  When  at  his  house  one  day, 
he  showed  and  read  to  me  a  history  he  was  writing, 
of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel,  purporting  that  they 
were  the  first  settlers  of  America,  and  that  the 
Indians  were  their  descendants.  Upon  this  subject 
we  had  frequent  conversations.  He  traced  their 
journey  from  Jerusalem  to  America,  as  it  is  given 
in  the  Boole  of  Mormon,  excepting  the  religious 
matter.  The  historical  part  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon I  know  to  be  the  same  as  I  read  and  heard 


THE    SPALDING    WITNESSES.  437' 

\ 

read  from  the  writings  of  Spalding,  more  than 
twenty  years  ago ;  the  names  more  especially  are 
the  same  without  any  alteration.  He  told  me  his 
object  was  to  account  for  all  the  fortifications,  etc., 
to  be  found  in  this  country,  and  said  that  in  time 
it  would  be  fully  believed  by  all,  except  learned 
men  and  historians.  I  once  anticipated  reading  his 
writings  in  print,  but  little  expected  to  see  them  in 
a  new  Bible.  Spalding  had  many  other  manuscripts, 
which  I  expect  to  see  when  Smith  translates  his 
other  plates.  In  conclusion,  I  will  observe,. that 
the  names  of,  and  most  of  the  historical  part  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  were  as  familiar  to  me  before 
I  read  it,  as  most  modern  history.  If  it  is  not 
Spalding's  writing,  it  is  the  same  as  he  wrote ;  and 
if  Smith  was  inspired,  I  think  it  was  by  the  same 
spirit  that  Spalding  was,  which  he  confessed  to  be 
the  love  of  money. 

^AARON  WEIGHT." 

OLIVER  SMITH. 

Conneaut,  August,  1833. 

11  When  Solomon  Spalding  first  came  to  this 
place,  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  surveyed  it  out, 
and  commenced  selling  it.  While  engaged  in  this 
business,  he  boarded  at  my  house,  in  all  nearly  six 
months.  All  his  leisure  hours  were  occupied  in 
writing  a  historical  novel,  founded  upon  the  first 
settlers  of  this  country.  He  said  he  intended  to 
trace  their  journey  from  Jerusalem,  by  land  and 
sea,  till  their  arrival  in  America,  give  an  account 
of  their  arts,  sciences,  civilization,  wars  and  con- 
tentions. In  this  way,  he  would  give  a  satisfac- 
tory account  of  all  the  old  mounds,  so  common  in 
this  countiy.  During  the  time  he  was  at  my  house, 
I  read  and  heard  read  one  hundred  pages  or  more. 
Nephi  and  Lehi  were  by  him  represented  as  lead- 


438  THE   PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

ing  characters,  when  they  first  started  for  America. 
Their  main  object  was  to  escape  the  judgments 
which  they  supposed  were  coming  upon  the  old 
world.  But  no  religious  matter  was  introduced,  as 
I  now  recollect.  Just  before  he  left  this  place, 
Spalding  sent  for  me  to  call  on  him,  which  I  did. 
He  then  said,  that  although  he  was  in  my  debt,  he 
intended  to  leave  the  country,  and  he  hoped  I 
would  not  prevent  him ;  for,  says  he,  you  know  I 
have  been  writing  the  history  of  the  first  settlement 
of  America,  and  I  intend  to  go  to  Pittsburgh,  and 
there  live  a  retired  life,  till  I  have  completed  the 
work,  and  when  it  is  printed,  it  will  bring  me  a 
fine  sum  of  money,  which  will  enable  me  to  return 
and  pay  off  all  my  debts — the  book,  you  know,  will 
sell,  as  every  one  is  anxious  to  learn  something 
upon  that  subject.  This  was  the  last  I  heard  from 
Spalding  or  his  book,  until  the  Book  of  Mormon 
came  into  the  neighborhood.  When  I  heard  the 
historical  part  of  it  related,  I  at  once  said  it  was 
the  writings  of  old  Solomon  Spalding.  Soon  after, 
I  obtained  the  book,  and  on  reading  it,  found  much 
of  it  the  same  as  Spalding  had  written,  more  than 
twenty  years  before. 

"  OLIVER  SMITH." 

NAHUM  HOWARD. 

Conneaut,  August,  1833. 

"  I  first  became  acquainted  with  Solomon  Spald- 
ing in  December,  1810.  After  that  time  I  fre- 
quently saw  him  at  his  house,  and  also  at  my  house. 
I  once  in  conversation  with  him  expressed  a  sur- 
prise at  not  having  any  account  of  the  inhabitants 
once  in  this  country,  who  erected  the  old  forts, 
mounds,  etc.  He  then  told  me  that  he  was  writing  a 
history  of  that  race  of  people ;  and  afterwards 
frequently  showed  me  his  writings,  which  I 


THE    SPALDING    WITNESSES.  439 

read.  I  have  lately  read  the  Boole  of  Mormon, 
and  believe  it  to  be  the  same  as  Spalding  wrote, 
except  the  religious  part.  He  told  me  that  he 
intended  to  get  his  writings  published  in  Pitts- 
burgh, and  he  thought  in  one  century  from  that 
time,  it  would  be  believed  as  much  as  any  other 
history." 

"  NAHUM  HOWARD." 

ARTEMUS  CUNNINGHAM, 

Of  Perry,  Geauga  County,  also  made  a  statement, 
as  follows : 

"In  the  month  of  October,  1811,  I  went  from 
the  township  of  Madison  to  Conneaut,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  securing  a  debt  due  me  from  Solomon 
Spalding.  I  tarried  with  him  nearly  two  days,  for 
the  purpose  of  accomplishing  my  object,  which  I 
was  finally  unable  to  do.  I  found  him  destitute  of 
the  means  of  paying  his  debts.  His  only  hope 
of  ever  paying  his  debts,  appeared  to  be  upon 
the  sale  of  a  book,  which  he  had  been  writing.  He 
endeavored  to  convince  me  from  the  nature  and 
character  of  the  work,  that  it  would  meet  with  a 
ready  sale.  Before  showing  me  his  manuscripts, 
he  went  into  a  verbal  relation  of  its  outlines,  saying 
that  it  was  a  fabulous  or  romantic  history  of  the 
first  settlement  of  this  country,  and  as  it  purported 
to  have  been  a  record  found  buried  in  the  earth,  or 
in  a  cave,  he  had  adopted  the  ancient  or  Scripture 
style  of  writing.  He  then  presented  his  manu- 
scripts, when  we  sat  dowm  and  spent  a  good  share 
of  the  night  in  reading  them,  and  conversing  upon 
them.  I  well  remember  the  name  of  Nephi,  which 
appeared  to  be  the  principal  hero  of  the  story.  The 
frequent  repetition  of  the  phrase  '  I,  Xephi,'  I  recol- 
lect as  distinctly  as  though  it  was  but  yesterday, 
although  the  general  features  of  the  story  have 


440          THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYEA. 

passed  from  my  memory,  through  the  lapse  of 
twenty-two  years.  He  attempted  to  account  for 
the  numerous  antiquities  which  are  found  upon 
this  continent,  and  remarked  that  after  this  gen- 
eration had  passed  away,  his  account  of  the  first 
inhabitants  of  America  would  be  considered  as 
authentic  as  any  other  history.  The  Mormon  Bible 
I  have  partially  examined,  and  am  fully  of  the 
opinion  that  Solomon  Spalding  had  written  its  out- 
lines before  he  left  Conneaut." 


LATtiM    TESTIMONY.  441 


CHAPTER    XLIV. 

LATER   TESTIMONY. 

JOSEPH  MILLER'S  LETTER — ABNER  JACKSON'S  NARRATIVE — 
"MERE  SUPPOSITIONS"  vs.  "  GOD-GIVEN  TESTIMONY" — 
THE  BOOK'S  PROPER  TITLE — MR.  PATTERSON — REV.  WIN- 
TER— KIGDON'S  HAND  MANIFEST. 

THE  Cincinnati  Gazette  recently  contained  a  let- 
ter from  Mr.  M.  A.  Cooper,  of  Steubenville,  Ohio, 
under  date  of  December  9,  1881,  which  that  journal 
prints  under  the  heading  of,  "  The  Book  of  Mor- 
mon— One  Man  in  the  United  States  Who  Can 
Give  its  Origin  ! "  This  letter  refers  to  Mr.  Joseph 
Miller,  of  Pennsylvania,  as  this  "  one  man,"  and 
gives  report  of  an  interview  with  him. 

Deeming  Mr.  Miller's  statement  concerning  Mr. 
Spalding  and  his  romance  to  be  important,  the 
writer  dispatched  to  him  a  note  of  inquiry,  and 
promptly  received  the  following  in  reply : 

TEN  MILE,  Washington  Co.,  Pa., 

Jan.  20,  1882. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  In  answer  to  yours,  I  would  state 
that  I  was  familiar  with  Solomon  Spalding.  I 
worked  in  Amity,  where  he  lived,  and  as  the  fashion 
was  at  that  day,  we  all  assembled  at  his  house  in 
the  evenings  (as  he  kept  tavern) ,  and  he  frequently 
would  read  from  his  manuscript.  The  work  was 


442  THE    PEOPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

very  odd.  The  words  *  Moreover,'  'And  it  came 
to  pass,'  occurred  so  often  that  the  boys  about  the 
village  called  him  *  Old  Came  to  Pass.'  He  told 
me  he  lived  in  Ohio  when  he  wrote  his  manuscript. 
He  said  he  lost  his  health,  and  he  commenced  writ- 
ing a  history  of  the  mounds  near  where  he  lived, 
or  of  the  people  who  built  them.  He  afterwards 
removed  to  Pittsburgh,  and  kept  a  little  store  to 
support  his  family,  and  while  there  he  took  his 
manuscript  to  Mr.  Patterson,  then  engaged  in  a 
publishing  house.  Mr.  Patterson  told  him  if  he 
would  write  a  title  page  he  would  publish  it.  He 
left  the  copy  and  moved  to  Amity.  He  afterwards 
went  back  to  have  his  MS.  published,  but  it  could 
not  be  found.  He  said  there  was  a  man  named 
Sidney  Rigdon  about  the  office,  and  they  thought 
he  had  stolen  it.  The  passage  you  refer  to,  on 
page  148,  as  Cooper  has  it,  is  in  reference  to  being 
marked  with  red  in  their  foreheads. 

"  « Nephites,'  I  recollect  distinctly,  as  occuring 
very  often  ;  as  to  *  Lamanites  '  it  is  not  so  distinct, — 
and  a  great  many  other  names  that  were  very  odd. 

"  The  MS.  that  I  saw,  would  not,  I  think,  make 
as  large  a  book  as  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

"  Spalding  was  a  very  poor  man  ;  during  his  stay 
at  Amity,  I  was  very  familiar  with  him,  bailed  him 
for  money  at  least  twice  ;  and  by  request  of  Spald- 
ing, assisted  his  wife  some  in  settling  up  his  little 
business — made  his  coffin  and  helped  lay  him  in  his 
grave. 

"  JOSEPH  MILLER." 

Mr.  Miller's  statement  is  mainly  corroborated  by 
the  following  paper,  communicated  to  the  Wash- 
ington County  (Pa.)  Historical  Society,  by  Mr. 
Abner  Jackson,  of  Canton,  Ohio — forwarded  to  us 
under  date  of  March  27,  1882,  in  the  Washington 


LATER    TESTIMONY.  443 

Reporter,  by  Rev.  L.  Axtell,  of  Pike  Run,  in  that 
county.  This  venerable  writer's  contribution  gives 
particulars  of  the  life  of  Spalding  not  to  be  found 
elsewhere,  and  confirms  most  of  the  material  points 
mentioned  by  others.  Evidently  written  with  care, 
and  with  a  view  to  the  truth  of  history,  we  deem  it 
worthy  of  a  place  entire  in  these  pages  : 

"  CANTON,  OHIO,  Dec.  20,  1880. 
"  Mr.  John  Aiken,  Esq. : 

"  I  here  send  you  the  document  you  solicited  so 
long  ago.  You  see,  though  a  long  time  coming, 
that  it  is  poorly  written ;  but  I  am  too  old  to  do  it 
very  well.  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  read  it. 
You  probably  have  seen  Mrs.  McKinstry's  state- 
ment in  Scribner's  Monthly  (already  published  in 
the  Washington  Reporter. — EDS.)  for  August,  1880. 
I  wish  to  say  that  I  have  not  seen  her  or  had  any 
intelligence  from  her,  since  they  left  Conneaut.  If 
any  should  think  we  have  conferred,  in  any  way  to 
make  out  a  case  of  plagiarism  against  Joseph  Smith, 
let  them  know  that  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  we 
are  now  perfect  strangers.  I  did  not  know  that  she 
was  living  until  I  heard,  as  stated  in  the  accompany- 
ing paper.  If  so  many  errors  had  not  been  pub- 
lished there  would  be  no  necessity  for  this  state- 
ment. When  contradicting  statements  are  published, 
people  often  say,  one  is  wrong,  maybe  neither  is 
right,  and  'so  ignore  both.  Mrs.  McKinstry  says 
that  her  father's  iron  works  was  a  foundry.  This 
was  the  little  girl's  view  of  it.  It  was  a  forge  of 
the  old  type.  Iron  was  made  from  ore  under  a 
trip  hammer,  as  there  were  no  rollers  in  this  coun- 
try at  that  time.  But  this  is  not  essential,  and  has 
nothing  to  do  with  Mormonism. 

"  If  my  statement  is  not  published,  please  return 


444          THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYltA. 

it  to  me  as  soon  as  convenient.  Please  inform  me 
if  you  receive  this.  I  am  not  anxious  for  myself  at 
all,  but  if  it  can  do  anything  for  those  entangled  by 
the  delusion,  it  cannot  be  published  too  quickly. 
I  hope  your  Historical  Society  may  prosper  and  do 
much  good. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"ABNER  JACKSON." 

ABNER  JACKSON'S  STATEMENT. 

* s  It  is  a  fact  well  established  that  the  book  called  the 
Boole  of  Mormon,  had  its  origin  from  a  romance  that 
was  written  by  Solomon  Spaulding,  in  Conneaut, 
a  small  village  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  about 
A.D.  1812.  Spaulding  was  a  highly  educated  man 
about  six  feet  high,  of  rather  slender  build,  with  a 
dark  complexion,  black  eyes,  black  hair,  rather  slow 
of  speech,  never  trifling,  pleasant  in  conversation, 
but  seldom  laughing  aloud.  His  deportment  was 
grave  and  dignified  in  society,  and  he  was  much 
respected  by  those  of  his  acquaintance.  He  was  a 
clergyman  of  the  Presbyterian  order,  and  for  a  time 
a  settled  pastor  in  the  city  of  New  York.  So  said 
his  brother  John  Spaulding  and  others  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, who  heard  him  preach.  It  was  said  that 
failing  health  caused  him  to  resign  the  pastorate. 
He  then  came  to  Richfield,  Otsego  County,  New 
York,  and  started  a  store,  near  where  my  father 
lived,  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 

"  Spaulding  contracted  for  large  tracts  of  land 
along  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  on  each  side  of  the 
State  line,  in  both  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  My 
father  exchanged  with  him,  the  farm  on  which  he 
lived  in  Otsego  County,  New  York,  for  land  in 
Erie  County,  Pa.,  where  the  town  of  Albion  now 
stands,  and  moved  on  it  A.D.,  1805.  It  was  then 
a  dense  forest.  Shortly  after  my  father  moved, 
Spaulding  sold  his  store  in  Richfield,  and  moved  to 


LATER    TESTIMONY.  445 

Conneaut,  Aslitabula  County,  Ohio,  and  built  a 
forge  on  Conneaut  Creek,  two  miles  from  Conneaut 
Harbor,  and  two  miles  from  the  State  line.  In 
building  this  he  failed,  sold  out,  and  about  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1812,  commenced  to  write 
his  famous  romance  called  by  him  the  Manuscript 
Found. 

"This  romance,  Mr.  Spaulding  brought  with  him 
on  a  visit  to  my  father,  a  short  time  before  he 
moved  from  Conneaut  to  Pittsburgh.  At  that 
time  I  was  confined  to  the  house  with  a  lame 
knee,  and  so  I  was  in  company  with  them  and 
heard  the  conversation  that  passed  between  them. 
Spaulding  read  much  of  his  manuscript  to  my  father, 
and  in  conversation  with  him,  explained  his  views 
of  the  old  fortifications  in  this  country,  and  told  his 
romance.  A  note  in  Morse's  Geography  suggested 
it  as  a  possibility  that  our  Indians  were  descendants 
of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  Said  Morse,  they 
might  have  wandered  through  Asia  up  to  Behring's 
Strait,  and  across  the  Strait  to  this  continent.  Be- 
sides there  were  habits  and  ceremonies  among  them 
that  resembled  some  habits  and  ceremonies  among 
the  Israelites  of  that  day.  Then  the  old  fortifica- 
tions and  earth  mounds,  containing  so  many  kinds 
of  relics  and  human  bones,  and  some  of  them  so 
large,  altogether  convinced  him  that  they  were  a 
larger  race  and  more  enlightened  and  civilized  than 
are  found  among  the  Indians  among  us  at  this  day. 
These  facts  and  reflections  prompted  him  to  write 
his  Romance,  purporting  to  be  a  history  of  the  lost 
tribes  of  Israel. 

"  He  begins  with  their  departure  from  Palestine, 
or  Judea,  then  up  through  Asia,  points  out  their 
exposures,  hardships,  and  sufferings,  also  their  dis- 
putes and  quarrels,  especially  when  they  built  their 
craft  for  passing  over  the  Straits.  Then  after  their 
landing  he  gave  an  account  of  their  divisions  and 


446  THE   PROPHET    OP   PALMYRA. 

subdivisions  under  different  leaders,  but  two  par- 
ties controlled  the  balance.  One  of  them  was  called 
the  Righteous,  worshipers  and  servants  of  God. 
These  organized  with  prophets,  priests,  and  teachers, 
for  the  education  of  their  children,  and  settled  down 
to  cultivate  the  soil,  and  to  a  life  of  civilization.  The 
others  were  Idolaters.  They  contended  for  a  life 
of  idleness  ;  in  short,  a  wild,  wicked,  savage  life. 

66  They  soon  quarrelled,  and  then  commenced 
war  anew,  and  continued  to  fight,  except  at  very 
short  intervals.  Sometimes  one  party  was  success- 
ful and  sometimes  the  other,  until  finally  a  terrible 
battle  was  fought,  which  was  conclusive.  All  the 
righteous  were  slain,  except  one,  and  he  was  Chief 
Prophet  and  Recorder.  He  was  notified  of  the  de- 
feat in  time  by  Divine  authority  ;  told  where,  when, 
and  how  to  conceal  the  record,  and  He  would  take 
care  that  it  should  be  preserved,  and  brought  to 
light  again  at  the  proper  time,  for  the  benefit  of 
mankind.  So  the  Recorder  professed  to  do,  and 
then  submitted  to  his  fate.  I  do  not  remember 
what  that  fate  was.  He  was  left  alone  of  his  party. 
I  do  not  remember  that  anything  more  was  said  of 
him. 

'  *  Spaulding' s  romance  professed  to  find  the  Record 
where  the  Recorder  concealed  it,  in  one  of  those 
mounds,  one  of  which  was  but  a  few  rods  from  Spauld- 
ing's residence.  Soon  after  this  visit,  Spaulding 
moved  to  Pittsburgh,  and  took  his  manuscript  to 
the  Pittsburgh  Gazette  office,  intending  to  have  it 
printed,  but  in  this  he  failed.  My  brother,  J.  J. 
Jackson,  was  a  recruiting  officer  in  the  U.  S.  Army, 
and  stationed  at  Pittsburgh  at  that  time.  Being 
well  acquainted  with  Spaulding  and  his  lady  he  soon 
found  them,  and  in  his  letters  home  would  inform 
us  how  they  were  getting  along.  The  last  account 
he  gave  us  of  them  was  that  he  was  selling  pictures 
and  she  was  sewing  up  clothing  for  the  soldiers. 


LATER  TESTIMONY.  447 

The  next  we  heard  of  them  was  by  report.  Spauld- 
ing  moved  to  Amity,  Washington  county,  Pa.,  and 
soon  after  died  and  was  buried  there.  His  wife  and 
daughter  went  to  her  brother,  Lawyer  Sabine, 
Onondaga  Valley,  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.  When  I 
was  returning  from  Clarksburg,  W.  Va. ,  to  my  home 
in  New  Brighton,  Beaver  Co.,  Pa.,  A.  D.,  1840,  I 
passed  through  Amity,  hunted  the  grave  of  Spauld- 
ing  and  copied  from  the  headstone  the  following- 
inscription:* 

4  IN  MEMORY  OF 

Solomon  Spauldiiig,  who  departed  this  life  Oct.  20th, 
A.  D.,  1816.  Aged  55  years. 

'  Kind  cherubs  guard  the  sleeping  clay, 

Until  the  great  decision  day, 
And  saints  complete  in  glory  rise, 

To  share  the  triumph  of  the  skies.' 

« «  Spaulding  frequently  read  his  manuscript  to  the 
neighbors  and  amused  them  as  he  progressed  with 
his  work.  He  wrote  it  in  Bible  style.  <  And  it 
came  to  pass'  occurred  so  often  that  some  called 
him  i  old  come  to  pass.' 

"  So  much  for  Spaulding's  romance  ;  now  for  the 
Book  of  Mormon. 

1 '  The  first  account  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  that 
I  saw,  was  a  notice  in  my  father's  newspaper, 
stating  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  professed  having 
dreamed  that  an  angel  had  appeared  to  him  and  told 
him  to  go  and  search  in  a  place  he  named  in  Pal- 

*  The  headstone  which  marked  Mr.  Spalding's  grave,  and 
which  bore  the  above  inscription,  has  almost  if  not  altogether 
disappeared,  through  the  ravages  of  time  and  relic  hunters.  It 
is  due  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Spalding,  who  was  the  innocent 
cause  of  the  stupendous  fraud  of  Mormonisin,  and  also  to  the 
truth  of  history,  that  this  tomb-stone  be  replaced  by  a  suitable 
and  substantial  monument  bearing  the  original  inscription,  to- 
gether with  such  other  legends  as  may  perpetuate  the  memory 
of  the  origin  of  the  greatest  imposture  of  the  century.  The 
Christian  Church  owes  it  to  its  own  vindication,  that  such  a 
monument  be  erected.  The  Historical  Society  should  also 
assist  in  perpetuating  a  local  incident. 


448  THE  PEOPHET  OF  PALMYEA. 

myra,  N.  Y.,  and  he  would  find  a  gold-leaf  "Bible. 
Smith  was  incredulous  and  did  not  go  until  the 
second  or  third  time  he  dreamed  the  same  dream. 
Then  he  said  he  went,  and,  to  his  surprise,  he  found 
the  golden  Bible,  according  to  his  dreams.  But  it 
was  written  in  a  language  so  ancient  that  none  could 
be  found  able  either  to  read  it  or  tell  in  what  lan- 
guage it  was  written.  Some  time  after  another 
statement  appeared,  that  an  angel  had  consented  to 
read  and  interpret  it  to  Joseph  Smith,  and  he  should 
report  it  to  a  third  person,  who  should  write  it  in 
plain  English,  so  that  all  might  read  the  new  Bible 
and  understand  its  import.  Some  time  after,  in 
1830,  the  book  was  published  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y., 
called  a  New  Revelation ;  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
This  purports  to  be  a  history  of  the  lost  tribes  of 
the  Children  of  Israel.  It  begins  with  them  just 
where  the  romance  did,  and  it  follows  the  romance 
very  closely.  It  is  true  there  are  some  verbal  alter- 
ations and  additions,  enlarging  the  production  some- 
what, without  changing  its  main  features.  The  Book 
of  Mormon  follows  the  romance  too  closely  to 
be  a  stranger.  In  both,  many  persons  appear  hav^ 
ing  the  same  name  ;  as  Maroni,  Mormon,  Nephites, 
Moroni,  Lama,  Lamanite,  Nephe,  and  others. 

"Here  then  we  are  presented  with  Romance, 
second,  called  the  Book  of  Mormon,  telling  the  same 
story  of  the  same  people,  traveling  from  the  same 
plain,  in  the  same  way,  having  the  same  difficulties 
and  destination,  with  the  same  wars,  same  battles, 
and  same  results,  with  thousands  upon  thousands 
slain.  Then  see  the  Mormon  account  of  the  last 
battle,  at  Cumorah,  where  all  the  righteous  were 
slain.  They  were  called  the  Kephites,  the  others 
were  called  Lamanites  (see  Moroni's  account  of  the 
closing  scene)  '  and  now  it  came  to  pass  that  a  great 
battle  was  fought  at  Cumorah.  The  Lamanites 
slew  all  the  Nephites'  (except  Moroni) ,  and  he  said 


LATER  TESTIMONY.  449 

« I  will  write  up  and  hide  the  Recorder  in  the  earth, 
and  whither  I  go  it  mattereth  not.' — Book  of  Mormon , 
page  344,  third  American  edition.  How  much  this 
resembles  the  closing  scene  in  the  Manuscript  Found. 
The  most  singular  part  of  the  whole  matter  is,  that 
it  follows  the  romance  so  closely,  with  this  differ- 
ence :  the  first  claims  to  be  a  romance  ;  the  second 
claims  to  be  a  revelation  of  God,  a  new  Bible  ! 
When  it  was  brought  to  Conneaut  and  read  there 
in  public,  old  Esq.  Wright  heard  it,  and  exclaimed, 
'  ' '  Old  come  to  pass  "  has  come  to  life  again.'  Here 
was  the  place  where  Spalding  wrote  and  read  his 
manuscript  to  the  neighbors  for  their  amusement 
and  'Squire  Wright  had  often  heard  him  read  from 
his  Romance.  This  was  in  1832,  sixteen  years  after 
Spalding' s  death.  This  'Squire  Wright  lived  on  a 
farm  just  outside  of  the  little  village.  I  was  ac- 
quainted with  him  for  twenty-five  years.  I  lived 
on  his  farm  when  I  was  a  boy  and  attended  school 
in  the  village.  I  am  particular  to  notice  these  things 
to  show  that  I  had  an  opportunity  of  knowing 
what  I  am  writing  about. 

"  After  I  commenced  writing  this  article,  I  heard 
that  an  article  in  /Scribner's  Monthly,  for  August, 
1880,  on  the  Book  of  'Mormon ,  contained  a  note  and 
affidavit  of  Mrs.  Matilda  S.  McKinstry,  Solomon 
Spaulding's  only  child,  stating  that  she  remembered 
her  father's  romance.  I  sent  at  once  for  the 
Monthly,  and  on  the  613,  614,  615  and  616  pages, 
found  the  article  and  her  testimony.  Her  statement 
from  the  commencement,  until  they  moved  to  Pitts- 
burgh, in  all  essential  particulars  I  know  to  be  true. 
She  relates  those  acts  as  they  occurred  to  my  own 
personal  knowledge,  though  she  was  then  a  little 
girl.  She  is  now  about  seventy-five  years  of  age. 

' '  I  stated  before  that  I  knew  nothing  of  Spauld- 
ing  after  he  moved  to  Pittsburgh,  except  by  letters 
and  newspapers.  He  soon  moved  to  Amity,  Wash- 


THE  PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA.          450 

I 

ington  County,  Pa.,  and  shortly  after  this  he  died 
and  his  wife  went  to  her  brother's.  His  daughter's 
account  of  the  deceitful  method  by  which  Hurlburt 
gained  possession  of  and  retained  Spaulding's  man- 
uscript, is,  I  think,  important  and  should  not  be 
lost  sight  of.  She  was  no  child  then.  I  think  she 
has  done  her  part  well  in  the  vindication  of  the  truth 
by  her  unvarnished  statement  of  what  she  remem- 
bered of  her  father's  romance.  I  have  not  seen 
her  since  she  was  a  little  girl,  but  I  have  seen  both 
of  these  productions,  heard  Spaulding  read  much  of 
his  romance  to  my  father  and  explain  his  views  and 
reasons  for  writing  it.  I  also  have  seen  and  read 
the  Boole  of  Mormon ,  and  it  follows  Spaulding's  ro- 
mance too  closely  to  be  anything  else  than  a  bor- 
rowed production  from  the  romance.  I  think  that 
Mrs.  McKinstry's  statement  fills  a  gap  in  my  ac- 
count from  Spal ding's  removal  to  Pittsburgh,  to  the 
death  of  his  wife  in  1844.  I  wish,  if  my  statement 
is  published  that  hers  also  be  published  with  it, 
that  the  truth  may  be  vindicated  by  the  truth  be- 
yond any  reasonable  doubt. 
"(Signed) 

6 <  ABNEK  JACKSON. 
"  Canton,  Ohio,  Dec.  20,  1880." 

The  foregoing  array  of  evidence  in  support  of 
the  theory  that  the  Boole  of  Mormon  was  based  on 
Spalding's  romance,  is  about  all  that  we  care  to 
introduce,  though  more  is  at  hand.  And  this  is 
what  the  Salt  Lake  editor  calls  a  "mere  supposi- 
tion" of  some  "mysterious  connection  between  the 
manuscript  and  Joseph  Smith."  That  there  was  a 
mysterious  connection  is  not  doubted  ;  indeed,  it  is 
directly  and  very  pointedly  affirmed  by  these  people. 


LATER    TESTIMONY.  451 

"What  that  connection  was  may  yet  be  shown. 
These  people  do  not  bolster  up  their  story  by  an 
array  of  "angels"  and  "heavenly  messengers," 
but  by  plain,  honest,  common-sense  averment ;  and 
hence  will  not  be  so  readily  believed  by  some ;  but 
their  story  will  carry  conviction  to  every  well- 
balanced  human  intellect. 

But  the  Salt  Lake  editor  further  assures  us  that 
there  is  an  additional  < '  God-given  testimony  "  of 
thousands  in  support  of  Smith's  claim  ;  which  testi- 
mony,  when  interpreted,  means  simply  the  mental 
ability  to  believe  Smith's  absurd  and  impossible 
story.  Just  such  "God-given  testimony"  has  been 
marshalled  in  support  of  every  silly  and  ridiculous 
delusion  since  the  world  began. 

Reader,  let  us  bring  together  the  points  of  the 
foregoing  narrations,  and  examine  their  bearing. 
That  Rev.  Solomon  Spalding  did  reside  at  Conneaut, 
Ohio,  between  the  years  1808  and  1814,  is  made  as 
clear  as  human  testimony  can  make  it.  That  while 
there  he  wrote  several  manuscript  books,  is  also 
fully  established.  That  he  died  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1816,  leaving  these  manuscripts  behind  him,  cannot 
be  disputed.  That  one  of  these  manuscripts  was  en- 
titled Manuscript  Found,  while  the  titles  of  the 
others  were  not  known,  is  also  clearly  established. 
The  Mormons  themselves  do  not  deny  it.  No 
writer  anywhere,  or  of  any  class,  that  we  are  aware 


452  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

of,  has  ever  denied  any  of  these  propositions.  The 
facts  are  palpable  and  would  not  be  more  clearly 
evident,  were  the  manuscripts  themselves  brought 
to  light.  If,  then,  Mr.  Spalding  wrote  a  work  so 
entitled,  it  must  have  been  about  something — it 
must  have  had  some  specific  characteristics.  What 
were  they?  All  his  friends  and  neighbors  agree 
that  he  had  a  lively  imagination ;  that  he  was  much 
interested  in  the  discoveries  that  had  been  made 
near  his  residence,  indicating  the  existence  of  a 
pre-historic  race  of  people  in  America ;  that  he 
thought,  talked,  and  wrote  much  upon  that  theme, 
and  read  portions  of  his  writings  to  his  neighbors 
and  friends. 

And  now — no,  not  NOW — but  more  than  fifty 
years  ago,  and  only  seventeen  years  after  his  death 
— come  a  number  of  these  neighbors  and  friends,  and 
say  that  this  book — this  Manuscript  Found,  the  ex- 
istence of  which  no  one  has  ever  denied — contained 
the  names  of  "  Nephi,"  "  Lehi,"  "  Moroni," 
"Laban,"  "  Nephites,"  "  Lamanites,"  "  Zarahem- 
la,"  and  others ;  that  its  theme  was  the  history  of 
a  supposed  race  of  Jewish  emigrants  and  their  de- 
scendants in  America  ;  that  it  was  ridiculously  full 
of  such  phrases  as  "And  it  came  to  pass,"  "I, 
Nephi,"  "  Lo,  and  behold,"  etc.  ;  that  it  was  writ- 
ten in  Biblical  style,  and  that  it  abounded  in  de- 
scriptions of  great  wars  and  battles  between  the 


LATER    TESTIMONY.  453 

contending  tribes.  These  statements  are  made  with 
great  unanimity,  and  no  apparent  attempt  at  collu- 
sion, by  men  and  women  who  could  have  had  no 
object  but  truth  and  justice  in  view.  Reader,  take 
up  the  Boole  of  Mormon — 4 '  Wherefore  it  is  an 
abridgement  of  the  Record  of  the  People  of  Nephi, 
and  also  of  the  Lamanites" — and  see  if  you  can  find 
in  it  any  emanations  from  Rev.  Spalding's  imagin- 
ative mind.  See  if  you  can  recognize  any  of  the 
names  these  friends  of  his  remember  so  well — and 
which  were  never  before  found  in  any  other  book. 
See  if  you  can  recall  any  of  the  themes,  the  his- 
torical allusions,  the  phrases,  they  so  minutely  par- 
ticularize. In  the  language  of  the  Salt  Lake  editor, 
4 -What  more  need  be  said?"  "  Lo,  and  behold," 
44  verily,"  its  title,  instead  of  the  "confusion  of 
language  "  used  by  Smith,  Rigdon,  Cowdery  &  Co., 
should  have  read : 

"THE  MANUSCRIPT  FOUND," 

A  ROMANCE, 

Written  by  Rev.  Solomon  Spalding,  of  Conneaut, 
Long  Since  Deceased ; 

Ohio, 

STOLEN,  MUTILATED,  ENLARGED, 

And   Rendered   More   Riduculous, 

In  Order  to  Make  it  More  Likely  to  be  Accepted 

by  Gulls, 

as  a 

MESSAGE  FROM  HEAVEN. 

"  And  now,  if  there  be  fault,  it  be  the  mistake  of  " 

SOME  CEANKS. 


454  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

It  can  make  little  difference,  therefore,  if  it 
should  be  never  fully  ascertained  how,  or  in  what 
manner,  or  by  whom,  that  Manuscript  Found  came 
into  those  men's  hands.  The  fact  stands  out  boldly, 
clearly,  that  it  was  there ;  that  it  was  this  Spald- 
ing  romance,  or  a  fraudulent  copy  of  it,  and  not 
golden  plates,  from  which  the  embryo  prophet  was 
pretending  to  translate  during  the  years  1827-8-9. 
Whether  it  came  to  him  through  Rigdon's  hands,  as 
believed  by  the  Spalding  family,  or  through  Cow- 
dery's,  or  Parley  P.  Pratt's,  is  of  little  consequence, 
except  as  to  gratify  curiosity,  and  need  not,  per- 
haps, be  further  inquired  into.  There  were  five 
men  who  bore  conspicuous  parts  in  bringing  this 
Book  of  Mormon,  before  the  public ;  any  one  of 
whom  may  have  obtained  the  manuscript.  Its  ap- 
plication and  working  up  was  evidently  the  labor 
of  Sidney  Rigdon  chiefly.  Two  of  these  men,  Smith 
and  Harris,  may  never  have  been  in  Northern 
Ohio,  previous  to  1827  ;  Cowdery,  Pratt,  and  Rig- 
don had  all  been  there,  in  the  vicinity  of  where 
Spalding  had  resided. 

The  Spalding  family  all  believed  that  Rigdon  had 
obtained  the  MS.  and  copied  it,  while  it  remained 
in  the  office  of  Patterson  &  Lambdin  at  Pittsburgh. 
From  Joseph  Miller's  latest  letter  it  would  seem, 
that  even  in  Rev.  Spalding' s  life-time  the  impression 
prevailed  that  Rigdon  had  obtained  the  manuscript. 


LATER   TESTIMONY.  455 

The  Mormons  vehemently  deny  that  Rigdon  was 
ever  a  printer,  or  about  said  Patterson's  office. 

Robert  Patterson,  Esq.,  the  capable  editor  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Presbyterian  Banner,  and  son  of  the 
Rev.  Robert  Patterson  alluded  to,  has  lately  given 
the  subject  much  attention.  In  a  very  lucid  and 
searching  paper  from  his  pen,  communicated  to  the 
Washington  County  Historical  Society,  we  find  the 
following,  bearing  on  Patterson's  possession  of  the 
mam*script : 

"  On  being  applied  to  in  1842,  by  Rev.  Samuel 
Williams,  who  was  preparing  for  publication  a 
pamphlet  entitled  Mormonism  Exposed,  Mr.  Pat- 
terson wrote  the  following  brief  certificate,  which 
we  copy  in  full  from  Mr.  Williams'  pamphlet : 

4 «  « R.  Patterson  had  in  his  employment  Silas 
Engles  at  the  time,  a  foreman  printer,  and  general 
superintendent  of  the  printing  business.  As  he 
(S.  E.)  was  an  excellent  scholar,  as  well  as  a  good 
printer,  to  him  was  entrusted  the  entire  concerns  of 
the  office.  He  even  decided  on  the  propriety  or 
otherwise  of  publishing  manuscripts  when  oifered, 
— as  to  their  morality,  scholarship,  etc.  In  this  char- 
acter he  informed  R.  P.  that  a  gentleman  from  the 
East  originally,  had  put  into  his  hands  a  manu- 
script of  a  singular  work,  chiefly  in  the  style  of  our 
English  translation  of  the  Bible,  and  handed  the 
copy  to  R.  P.,  who  read  only  a  few  pages,  and 
finding  nothing  apparently  exceptionable,  he(R.  P.) 
said  to  Engles  he  might  publish  it,  if  the  author 
furnished  the  funds  or  good  security.  He  (the 
author)  failing  to  comply  with  the  terms,  Mr  Engles 
returned  the  manuscript,  as  I  supposed  at  that  time, 


456  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

after  it  had  been  some  weeks  in  his  possession  with 
other  manuscripts  in  the  office. 

"  'This  communication  written  and  signed   2d 
April,  1842. 

"  *  ROBERT  PATTERSON.'  " 

From  Mr.  Patterson's  pamphlet,  we  also  quote 
the  following : 

"  Re.v.  John  Winter,  M.  D.,  was  one  of  the  early 
ministers  of  the  Baptist  Church,  laboring  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  and  Eastern  Ohio.  During  a  por- 
tion of  the  time  when  Sidney  Rigdon  was  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Pittsburgh,  Dr.  Winter 
was  teaching  a  school  in  the  same  city,  and  was  well 
acquainted  with  Rigdon.  Upon  one  occasion,  dur- 
ing this  period,  1822-23,  Dr.  Winter  was  in  Rig- 
don's  study,  when  the  latter  took  from  his  desk  a 
large  manuscript,  and  said  in  substance,  'A  Pres- 
byterian minister,  Spalding,  whose  health  had  failed, 
brought  this  to  the  printer  to  see  if  it  would  pay 
to  publish  it.  It  is  a  romance  of  the  Bible.'  Dr. 
Winter  did  not  read  any  part  of  it,  and  paid  no  more 
attention  to  it  until  after  the  Book  of  Mormon  ap- 
peared, when  he  heard  that  Mr.  Spalding's  widow 
recognized  in  it  the  writings  of  her  husband.  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Mary  W.  Irvine,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Winter, 
writes  from  Sharon,  Pa.,  April  5,  1881,  as  follows  : 
<  I  have  frequently  heard  my  father  speak  of  Rig- 
don having  Spalding's  MS.  and  that  he  had  gotten 
it  from  the  printers  to  read  as  a  curiosity ;  as  such 
he  showed  it  to  father ;  and  that  at  that  time  Rig- 
don had  an  intention  of  making  the  use  of  it  that 
he  afterwards  did ;  for  father  always  said  Rigdon 
helped  Smith  in  his  scheme,  by  revising  and  making 
the  Mormon  Bible  out  of  Rev.  Spalding's  manu- 
script.' ' 

The  foregoing  citations  would  seem  conclusive  in 


LATER    TESTIMONY.  457 

fixing  the  fraud  upon  Sidney  Kigdon  ;  and  notwith- 
standing his  and  all  the  other  Mormon  denials,  and 
the  apparent  want  of  agreement  among  Spalding's 
friends,  we  feel  sure  that  an  intelligent  and  discern- 
ing public,  will  forever  hold  it.  And  here  we  let 
the  matter  rest. 


458          TH&   PROPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

AFTER   FIFTY   YEARS. 

A  STRANGE  DISCOVERY — A  SPALDING  MS.  FOUND  IN  HONO- 
LULU— A  GOD- SEND  TO  THE  MORMONS — A  FALSE  IMPRES- 
SION— NOT  THE  ' '  MANUSCRIPT  FOUND  " — OF  No  HISTORIC 
VALUE — MR.  PATTERSON'S  CLOSING  TRIBUTE. 

AND  now  comes  one  of  the  most  remarkable  fea- 
tures of  this  much  discussed  and  remarkable  story. 
A  short  time  ago  President  Fairchild  of  Oberlin 
College,  Ohio,  was  on  a  visit  with  friends  residing 
at  Honolulu,  in  the  Sandwich  Islands.  While  at  the 
home  of  Mr.  L.  L.  Rice,  an  American  citizen  there, 
he  became  interested  in  some  documents  which  had 
many  years  before  accumulated  in  the  latter's  pos- 
session, and  which  had  been  brought  with  him  from 
Ohio,  his  former  residence. 

One  of  those  old  and  long-neglected  manuscripts 
on  examination  proved  to  be  one  of  Rev.  Spalding's 
romances — to  the  great  astonishment  of  both  those 
gentlemen.  The  fact  was  soon  made  public  here 
in  the  States,  and  was  seized  upon  and  heralded  to 
the  world  by  the  newspapers,  as  a  discovery  of  the 
long  lost  Manuscript  Found  of  Rev.  Solomon  Spald- 
ing,  and  the  original  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  The 
manuscript  (after  discussion  as  to  the  proper  dis- 


AFTEH    FIFTY    TEAKS.  459 

position  to  be  made  of  it) ,  was  deposited  by  Mr. 
Kice  in  the  college  library  at  Oberlin.  Various 
extracts  from  its  pages,  bearing  no  resemblance  to 
the  matter  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  have  been  pub- 
lished ;  and  the  conclusion  has  been  quite  general 
that  the  Spalding  story  was  a  fallacy.  The  Mor- 
mons themselves  have  regarded  the  discovery  as  a 
God-send,  and  have  lost  no  time  in  announcing  to 
their  readers  this  marvelous  refutation  of  their 
enemies'  falsehoods.  Both  the  Salt  Lake  and  the 
Reconstructed  branches,  it  is  stated,  have  procured 
copies  of  the  work  for  publication.  The  former  we 
have  not  seen ;  but  the  latter,  issued  with  much 
apparent  satisfaction,  and  neatly  printed  in  pamph- 
let form  at  Lamoni,  Iowa,  under  authority  of  the 
church — now  lies  before  us.  It  professes  to  be  a 
true  and  exact  copy  of  the  original,  and  certified  to 
as  such ;  yet  its  very  first  line  is  a  FALSEHOOD  !  It 
entities  the  book  The  Manuscript  Found  of  Solomon 
Spalding,  when  no  such  title  is  found  anywhere  on 
or  in  the  work.  The  nearest  approach  to  it  is  the 
attestation  of  Dr.  Hurlbut  on  the  fly-leaf,  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  The  writings  of  Solomon  Spalding,  as  proved 
by  Henry  Lake,  John  N.  Miller,  Aaron  Wright  and 
others. 

"V.  P.  HURLBUT." 

Thus   showing  conclusively  that  it   is  the   manu- 


460  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALM  YE  A. 

uscript  obtained  by  the  doctor  and  brought  to  Howe 
in  1834.  Besides,  it  can  be  traced  directly  from 
Howe  to  Rice — the  latter  having  purchased  the 
Painesville  Telegraph  a  year  or  two  after  Howe's 
book  was  printed,  with  the  printing  office  and  all 
its  contents.  Howe  lost  track  of  the  manuscript, 
and  supposed  it  might  have  been  destroyed  in  a  fire 
in  his  office,  when,  in  fact,  it  had  been  delivered 
with  other  waste  matter  to  his  successor,  and  by 
him,  very  strangely,  instead  of  being  destroyed, 
carried  to  Honolulu.  That  it  is  the  same  manu- 
script is  also  shown  by  another  circumstance.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  Howe,  in  his  book,  refers 
to  a  letter  obtained  with  the  manuscript  indicating 
that  Spalding  had  imbibed  "infidel"  opinions. 
Strange  enough,  that  same  letter  is  still  with  the 
MS.,  as  found  in  Honolulu.  Again,  the  contents 
of  this  newly-found  manuscript,  as  described  by 
those  having  access  to  it,  are  identical  with  those 
ascribed  to  it  by  Howe.  So  that  the  evidence  is 
clear : 

"  1.  That  this  newly-discovered  work  is  really 
one  of  Spalding' s  romances. 

"2.  That  it  is  the  identical  one  referred  to  by 
Howe  in  his  Mormonism  Unveiled,  and  which  he  re- 
ceived from  Hurlbut,  and  Hurlbut  from  the  Spald- 
ings,  in  1833. 

"  3.  That  it  is  NOT  the  romance  known  as  Manu- 
$cript  Found,  and  bears  no  resemblance  to  it. 

"4.  And   consequently — that   it  can  bring   no 


AFTER    FIFTY    YEARS.  461 

comfort  to  the  Mormons,  in  disproof  of  the"  Spald- 
ing  Story." 

Mr.  Patterson,  in  closing  his  valuable  little  book 
on  the  subject,  thus  eloquently  refers  to  Mr.  Spald- 
ing  and  his  work  : 

<  <  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  Spalding 
himself  must  be  acquitted  of  all  intention  to  deceive, 
even  though  four  of  the  hearers  of  his  romance  as 
read  by  him  have  attested  his  singular  presentiment 
— was  it  prescience? — that  in  after  years  his  ro- 
mance would  be  accepted  by  thousands  as  veritable 
history.  But  even  he  could  not  have  foreseen  that 
this  coinage  of  his  brain  would  ever  pass  current 
as  having  been  enstamped  by  the  authority  of 
heaven.  The  unconscious  prophet  of  a  new  Islam, 
in  all  his  imaginings  he  did  not  dream  that  his  hand 
was  outlining  the  Koran  of  a  dark  delusion  ;  that 
the  fables  which  beguiled  his  restless  hours  would 
be  accepted  by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  his  fellow- 
men  as  the  oracles  of  God ;  and  that  in  inglorious 
yet  heroic  martyrdom  some  of  them  would  even 
seal  with  their  blood  their  faith  in  the  inspiration 
of  his  phantasies.  Journeying  to  Pittsburgh  in 
1812,  with  the  sanguine  hope  of  soon  seeing  his 
romance  in  print,  it  never  entered  his  mind  that  in 
three-score  years  and  ten  thereafter,  the  shades  of 
Laman  and  Nephi,  of  Mormon  and  Moroni,  evoked 
by  his  magic  wand  from  the  sepulchral  mounds  of 
Conneaut, — the  graves  of  a  long-forgotten  race, — 
would  be  stalking  over  two  hemispheres,  and  would 
be  leading  through  the  very  city  of  his  sojourn  their 
myriad  victims  of  deception  to  distant  homes  of 
wretchedness  and  shame.  Struggling  to  escape  the 
burden  of  his  debts,  he  little  imagined  how  vast  the 
burden  he  was  about  unwittingly  to  lay  upon  his 
Qountry. 


462  THE  PROPHET  OF  PALMYRA. 

"  Sleep  on,  humble  dreamer,  in  thy  lowly  bed ! 
Thy  fond  desire  to  win  a  public  hearing  for  thy 
wondrous  story  was  denied  thee  in  thy  toilsome 
life.  Thou  knewest  not  that  a  strange  immortality 
awaited  it  and  thee.  Kest  peacefully,  for  from  thine 
eye,  which  sought  to  penetrate  the  past  alone,  this 
saddest  of  future  visions  was  mercifully  withheld. 
Surely  never  hitherto  have  passed  such  sorrowful 
processions  near  the  grave  of  so  innocent  an  author 
of  their  woe." 


With  this  we  conclude  the  review  of  the  sense- 
less gold-laden  story.  No  one  really  believes  it. 
Even  its  originators,  its  eleven  witnesses,  and  their 
immediate  followers,  had  no  abiding  faith  in  it,  else 
Cumorah  Hill  would  ere  this  have  been  prospected 
from  base  to  crown,  in  search  of  those  other  pre- 
cious relics  said  to  have  been  hid  away  by  the  angel. 
Yet  its  influence  has  been  far-reaching.  It  has 
continued  to  grow,  agitating  and  disturbing  every 
community  into  which  it  has  made  its  way,  until  it 
now  curses  half  a  continent.  But  it  is  on  the 
wane ;  and  ere  the  twentieth  century  ends,  the 
Story  of  the  Golden  Message  will  have  faded  from 
men's  memories. 


NAUVOO    CHARTER.  463 


CHAPTER     XLVL 

NAUVOO    CHARTER. 
AN  ACT&TO  INCORPORATE  THE  CITY  OF  NAUVOO. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the 
State  of  Illinois ,  represented  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly, That  all  that  district  of  country  embraced  within 
the  following  boundaries,  to  wit :  [long  description 
of  boundaries. ,] 

SEC.  2.  Whenever  any  tract  of  land  adjoining 
the  city  of  Nauvoo  shall  have  been  laid  out  into 
town  lots,  and  duly  recorded  according  to  law,  the 
same  shall  form  a  part  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo. 

Sec.  3.  The  inhabitants  of  said  city,  by  the  name 
and  style  aforesaid,  shall  have  power  to  sue  and  be 
sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  defend  and  be  de- 
fended, in  all  courts  of  law  and  equity,  and  in  all 
actions  whatsoever ;  to  purchase,  receive  and  hold 
property,  real  and  personal,  in  said  city ;  to  pur- 
chase, receive  and  hold  real  property  beyond  the 
city  for  burying  ground,  or  for  other  public  pur- 
poses, for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  city ; 
to  sell,  lease,  convey  or  dispose  of  property,  real 
and  personal,  for  the  benefit  of  the  city ;  to  im- 
prove and  protect  such  property,  and  to  do  all 
other  things  in  relation  thereto  as  natural  persons. 

SEC.  4.  There  shall  be  a  City  Council  to  consist 
of  Mayor,  four  Aldermen  and  nine  Councillors,  who 
shall  have  the  qualifications  of  electors  of  said  city, 
and  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  thereof, 
and  shall  hold  their  offices  for  two  years,  and  until 
their  successors  shall  be  elected  and  qualified.  The 


464  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

City  Council  shall  judge  of  the  qualifications,  elec- 
tions and  returns  of  their  own  members,  and  a 
majority  of  them  shall  form  a  quorum  to  do  business  ; 
but  a  smaller  number  may  adjourn  from  day  to  day, 
and  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members,  under 
such  penalties  as  may  be  prescribed  by  ordinance. 

SEC.  5.  The  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Councillors, 
before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  their  offices,  shall 
take  and  subscribe  an  oath  or  affirmation,  that  they 
will  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
and  of  this  State  ;  and  that  they  will  well  and  truly 
perform  the  duties  of  their  offices  to  the  best  of 
their  skill  and  abilities. 

SEC.  6.  On  the  first  Monday  of  February  next, 
and  every  two  years  thereafter,  an  election 
shall  be  held  for  the  election  of  one  Mayor,  four 
Aldermen  and  nine  Councillors ;  and  at  the  first 
election  under  this  act,  three  judges  shall  be  chosen 
viva  voce  by  the  electors  present,  the  said  judges 
shall  choose  two  clerks,  and  the  judges  and 
clerks  before  entering  upon  their  duties,  shall  take 
and  subscribe  an  oath  or  affirmation,  such  as  is 
now  required  by  law  to  be  taken  by  judges  and 
clerks  of  other  elections ;  and  at  all  subsequent 
elections  the  necessary  number  of  judges  and 
clerks  shall  be  appointed  by  the  City  Council. 
At  the  first  election  so  held  the  polls  shall  be 
opened  at  nine  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and  closed  at  six 
o'clock,  P.  M.  ;  at  the  close  of  the  polls  the  votes 
shall  be  counted,  and  a  statement  thereof  proclaimed 
at  the  front  door  of  the  house  at  which  such  elec- 
tion shall  be  held ;  and  the  clerks  shall  leave  with 
each  person  elected,  or  at  his  usual  place  of  resi- 
dence within  five  days  after  the  election,  a  written 
notice  of  his  election,  and  each  person  so  notified, 
shall  within  ten  days  after  the  election,  take  the 
oath  or  affirmation  hereinbefore  mentioned,  a  cer- 
tificate of  which  oath  shall  be  deposited  with  the 


NAUVOO    CHAETEE.  465 

Kecorder,  whose  appointment  is  hereafter  provided 
for,  and  be  by  him  preserved ;  and  all  subsequent 
elections  shall  be  held,  conducted,  and  returns 
thereof  made,  as  may  be  provided  for  by  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  City  Council. 

SEC.  7.  All  free  white  male  inhabitants,  who  are 
of  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  who  are  entitled  to 
vote  for  State  officers,  and  who  shall  have  been 
actual  residents  of  said  city  sixty  days  next  pre- 
ceding said  election,  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  for 
city  officers. 

SEC.  8.  The  City  Council  shall  have  authority 
to  levy  and  collect  taxes  for  city  purposes,  upon 
all  property,  real  and  personal,  within  the  limits  of 
the  city,  not  exceeding  one  half  per  cent,  per 
annum  upon  the  assessed  value  thereof,  and  may 
enforce  the  payment  of  the  same  in  any  manner 
to  be  provided  by  ordinance,  not  repugnant  to 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  or  of  this 
State. 

SEC.  9.  The  City  Council  shall  have  power  to 
appoint  a  Recorder,  Treasurer,  Assessor,  Marshal, 
Supervisor  of  Streets,  and  all  such  other  officers  as 
may  be  necessary,  and  to  prescribe  their  duties,  and 
remove  them  from  office  at  pleasure. 

SEC.  10.  The  City  Council  shall  have  power  to 
require  of  all  officers,  appointed  in  pursuance  of 
this  act,  bonds  with  penalty  and  security,  for  the 
faithful  performance  of  their  respective  duties,  such 
as  may  be  deemed  expedient ;  and  also  to  require 
all  officers  appointed  as  aforesaid,  to  take  an  oath 
for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  their 
respective  offices. 

SEC.  11.  The  City  Council  shall  have  power  and 
authority  to  make,  ordain,  establish,  and  execute 
all  such  ordinances,  not  repugnant  to  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  or  of  this  State,  as  they 
may  deem  necessary  for  the  benefit,  peace,  good 


466  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA, 

order,  regulation,  convenience  and  cleanliness  of 
said  city ;  for  the  protection  of  property  therein 
from  destruction  by  fire  or  otherwise,  and  for  the 
health  and  happiness  thereof;  they  shall  have  power 
to  fill  all  vacancies  that  may  happen  by  death, 
resignation  or  removal,  in  any  of  the  offices  herein 
made  elective ;  to  fix  and  establish  all  the  fees  of 
the  officers  of  said  corporation  not  herein  established  ; 
to  impose  such  fines  not  exceeding  one  hundred 
dollars  for  each  offence,  as  they  may  deem  just,  for 
refusing  to  accept  any  office  in  or  under  the  cor- 
poration, or  for  misconduct  therein  ;  to  divide  the 
city  into  wards  ;  to  add  to  the  number  of  Aldermen 
and  Councillors,  and  apportion  them  among  the  sev- 
eral wards  as  may  be  most  just  and  conducive  to 
the  interests  of  the  city. 

SEC.  12.  To  license,  tax  and  regulate  auctions, 
merchants,  retailers,  grocers,  hawkers,  pedlars, 
brokers,  pawn-brokers  and  money-changers. 

SEC.  13.  The  City  Council  shall  have  exclusive 
power  within  the  city,  by  ordinance  to  license,  reg- 
ulate and  restrain  the  keeping  of  ferries ;  to  regu- 
late the  police  of  the  city ;  to  impose  fines,  forfeit- 
ures and  penalties  for  the  breach  of  any  ordinance, 
and  provide  for  the  recovery  of  such  fines  and  for- 
feitures, and  the  enforcement  of  such  penalties,  and 
to  pass  such  ordinances  as  may  be  necessary  and 
proper  for  carrying  into  execution  the  powers 
specified  in  this  act ;  Provided,  Such  ordinances  are 
not  repugnant  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  or  of  this  State ;  and  in  fine,  to  exercise 
such  other  legislative  powers  as  are  conferred  on 
the  City  Council  of  the  city  of  Springfield,  by  an 
act  entitled  "An  Act  to  incorporate  the  City  of 
Springfield,"  approved  February  third,  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  forty. 

SEC.  14.  All  ordinances  passed  by  the  City 
Council  shall,  within  one  month  after  they  shall 


NAUVOO    CHAETEE.  467 

have  been  passed,  be  published  in  some  newspaper 
printed  in  the  city,  or  certified  copies  thereof  be 
posted  up  in  three  of  the  most  public  places  in  the 
city. 

SEC.  15.  All  ordinances  of  the  city  may  be 
proven  by  the  seal  of  the  corporation,  and  when 
printed  or  published  in  book  or  pamphlet  form,  pur- 
porting to  be  printed  or.  published  by  authority  of 
the  corporation,  the  same  shall  be  received  in 
evidence  in  all  courts  or  places  without  further 
proof. 

SEC.  16.  The  Mayor  and  Aldermen  shall  be 
conservators  of  the  peace  within  the  limits  of  said 
city,  and  shall  have  all  the  powers  of  Justices  of 
the  Peace  therein,  both  in  civil  and  criminal  cases, 
arising  under  the  laws  of  the  State  ;  they  shall,  as 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  within  the  limits  of  said  city, 
perform  the  same  duties,  be  governed  by  the  same 
laws,  give  the  same  bonds  and  security  as  other 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  and  be  commissioned  as 
Justices  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  said  city  Irv  the 
Governor* 

SEC.  17.  The  Mayor  shall  have  exclusive  juris- 
diction in  all  cases  arising  under  the  ordinances  of 
the  corporation,  and  shall  issue  such  process  as  may 
be  necessary  to  carry  said  ordinances  into  execu- 
tion and  effect ;  appeals  may  be  had  from  any  de- 
cision or  judgment  of  said  Mayor,  or  Aldermen, 
arising  under  the  city  ordinances,  to  the  Municipal 
Court,  under  such  regulations  as  may  be  prescribed 
by  ordinance,  which  Court  shall  be  composed  of 
the  Mayor,  or  Chief  Justice,  and  the  Aldermen,  as 
Associate  Justices  ;  and  from  the  final  judgment  of 
the  Municipal  Court  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  Han- 
cock County,  in  the  same  manner  as  appeals  are 
taken  from  the  judgments  of  Justices  of  the  Peace  : 
Provided,  That  the  parties  litigant  shall  have  the 
right  to  a  trial  by  a  jury  of  twelve  men  in  all  cases 


468  THE   PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

before  the  Municipal  Court.  The  Municipal  Court 
shall  have  power  to  grant  writs  of  habeas  corpus 
in  all  cases  arising  under  the  ordinances  of  the  City 
Council. 

SEC.  18.  The  Municipal  Court  shall  sit  on  the 
first  Monday  of  every  month,  and  the  City  Council 
at  such  times  and  places  as  may  be  prescribed  by 
city  ordinance,  special  meetings  of  which  may,  at 
any  time,  be  called  by  the  Mayor  or  any  two 
Aldermen. 

SEC.  19.  All  processes  issued  by  the  Mayor, 
Aldermen,  or  Municipal  Court,  shall  be  directed  to 
the  Marshal,  and  in  the  execution  thereof  he  shall 
be  governed  by  the  same  laws  as  are  or  may  be  pre- 
scribed for  the  direction  and  compensation  of  con- 
stables in  similar  cases.  The  Marshal  shall  also 
perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be  required  of  him 
under  the  ordinances  of  said  city,  and  shall  be  the 
principal  ministerial  officer. 

SEC.  20.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Recorder  to 
make  and  keep  accurate  records  of  all  ordinances 
made  by  the  City  Council,  and  of  all  their  proceed- 
ings in  their  corporate  capacity  ;  which  records  shall 
at  all  times  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  electors 
of  said  city ;  and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as 
may  be  required  of  him  by  the  ordinances  of  the 
City  Council,  and  shall  serve  as  Clerk  of  the  Mu- 
nicipal Court. 

SEC.  21.  When  it  shall  be  necessary  to  take 
private  property  for  opening,  widening,  or  altering 
any  public  street,  lane,  avenue  or  alley,  the  corpo- 
ration shall  make  a  just  compensation  therefor,  to 
the  person  whose  property  is  so  taken,  and  if  the 
amount  of  such  compensation  cannot  be  agreed 
upon,  the  Mayor  shall  cause  the  same  to  be  ascer- 
tained by  a  jury  of  six  disinterested  freeholders  of 
the  city. 

SEC.  22.  All  jurors  impanelled  to  inquire  into 


NAUVOO    CHARTED.  469 

the  amount  of  benefits  or  damages  that  shall  happen 
to  the  owners  of  property  so  proposed  to  be  taken, 
shall  first  be  sworn  to  that  effect,  and  shall  return 
to  the  Mayor  their  inquest  in  writing,  signed  by 
each  juror. 

SEC.  23.  In  case  the  Mayor  shall  at  any  time  be 
guilty  of  a  palpable  omission  of  duty,  or  shall  wil- 
fully and  corruptly  be  guilty  of  oppression,  mtil- 
conduct,  or  partiality  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  his  office,  he  shall  be  liable  to  be  indicted  in  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Hancock  County ;  and  on  convic- 
tion he  shall  be  fined  not  more  than  two  hundred 
dollars,  and  the  Court  shall  have  power  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  jury,  to  add  to  the  judgment 
of  the  Court,  that  he  be  removed  from  office. 

SEC.  24.  The  City  Council  may  establish  and 
organize  an  institution  of  learning  within  the  limits 
of  the  city  for  the  teaching  of  the  arts,  sciences  and 
learned  professions,  to  be  called  the  "University 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo  ;  "  which  institution  shall  be 
under  the  control  and  management  of  a  board  of 
trustees,  consisting  of  a  Chancellor,  Registrar,  and 
twenty-three  Regents,  which  board  shall  thereafter 
be  a  body  corporate  and  politic,  with  perpetual 
succession,  by  the  name  of  the  "  Chancellor  and 
Regents  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo," 
and  shall  have  full  power  to  pass,  ordain,  establish 
and  execute  all  such  laws  and  ordinances  as  they 
may  consider  for  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  said 
University,  its  officers  and  students ;  Provided, 
That  the  said  laws  and  ordinances  shall  not  be 
repugnant  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
or  of  this  State ;  and,  Provided  also,  That  the 
Trustees  shall  at  all  times  be  appointed  by  the  City 
Council,  and  shall  have  all  the  powers  and  privileges 
for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  education,  which 
appertain  to  the  trustees  of  any  other  College  or 
University  of  this  State. 


470  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

SEC.  25.  The  City  Council  may  organize  the 
inhabitants  of  said  city  subject  to  military  duty  into 
a  body  of  independent  military  men,  to  be  called 
the  "  Nauvoo  Legion,"  the  Court -Martial  of  which 
shall  be  composed  of  the  commissioned  officers  of 
said  Legion,  and  constitute  the  law-making  depart- 
ment, with  full  powers  and  authority  to  make,  or- 
dain, establish  and  execute,  all  such  laws  and 
ordinances,  as  may  be  considered  necessary  for  the 
benefit,  government  and  regulation  of  said  Legion ; 
Provided,  Said  Court-Martial  shall  pass  no  law  or 
act  repugnant  to  or  inconsistent  with  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States  or  this  State ;  and,  Pro- 
vided, also,  That  the  officers  of  the  Legion  shall  be 
commissioned  by  the  Governor  of  the  State.  The 
said  Legion  shall  perform  the  same  amount  of  mil- 
itary duty  as  is  now  or  may  be  hereafter  required 
of  the  regular  militia  of  the  State,  and  shall  be  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Mayor  in  executing  the  laws 
and  ordinances  of  the  City  Corporation,  and  the 
laws  of  the  State,  and  at  the  disposal  of  the  Gov- 
ernor for  the  public  defence  and  the  execution 
of  the  laws  of  the  State,  or  of  the  United  States,  and 
shall  be  entitled  to  their  proportion  of  the  public 
arms ;  and,  Provided,  also,  That  said  Legion  shall 
be  exempt  from  all  other  military  duty. 

SEC.  26.  The  inhabitants  of  the  "  City  of 
Nauvoo"  are  hereby  exempt  from  working  on  any 
road  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city ;  and  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  the  streets,  lanes,  avenues  and 
alleys  in  repair,  to  require  of  the  male  inhabitants 
of  said  city,  over  the  age  of  twenty-one  and  under 
fifty  years,  to  labor  on  said  streets,  lanes,  avenues 
and  alleys,  not  exceeding  three  days  in  each  year  ; 
any  person  failing  to  perform  such  labors  when  duly 
notified  by  the  Supervisor,  shall  forfeit  and  pay  the 
sum  of  one  dollar  per  day  for  each  day  so  neglected 
or  refused. 


NArVOO    CHARTER.  471 

SEC.  27.  The  City  Council  shall  have  power  to 
provide  for  the  punishment  of  offenders,  by  impris- 
onment in  the  county  or  city  jail,  in  all  cases  when 
such  offenders  shall  fail  or  refuse  to  pay  the  fines 
and  forfeitures  which  may  be  recovered  against 
them. 

SEC.  28.  This  act  is  hereby  declared  to  be  a 
public  act,  and  shall  take  effect  on  the  first  Monday 
of  February  next. 

Approved,  December  16,  1840. 


472  THE   PROPHET   OV 


CHAPTER    XLVH. 

SOME   OF   THE   CITY   ORDINANCES. 

AN  ORDINANCE  ^Regulating  the  Mode  of  Proceed- 
ing in  Cases  of  Habeas  Corpus  before  the 
Municipal  Court. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  That  in  all  cases  where  any 
person  or  persons  shall  at  any  time  hereafter  be 
arrested  or  under  arrest,  in  this  city,  under  any 
writ  or  process,  and  shall  be  brought  before  the 
Municpal  Court  of  this  city,  by  virtue  of  a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus,  the  Court  shall,  in  every  such  case, 
have  power  and  authority,  and  are  hereby  required 
to  examine  into  the  origin,  validity  and  legality  of 
the  writ  or  process,  under  which  said  arrest  was 
made ;  and  if  it  shall  appear  to  the  Court  upon 
sufficient  testimony,  that  said  writ  or  process  was 
illegal,  or  not  legally  issued,  or  did  not  proceed 
from  the  proper  authority,  then  the  Court  shall  dis- 
charge the  prisoner  from  under  said  arrest ;  but  if 
it  shall  appear  to  the  Court  that  said  writ  or  process 
had  issued  from  proper  authority,  and  was  a  legal 
process,  the  Court  shall  then  proceed  and  fully  hear 
the  merits  of  the  case  upon  which  said  arrest  was 
made,  upon  such  evidence  as  may  be  produced  and 
sworn  before  said  Court ;  and  shall  have  power  to 
adjourn  the  hearing,  and  also  issue  process  from 
time  to  time,  in  their  discretion,  in  order  to  procure 
the  attendance  of  witnesses,  so  that  a  fair  and  im- 
partial trial  and  decision  may  be  obtained  in  every 
case. 

SEC.  2.  And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  if  upon 


CITY    ORDINANCES.  473 

investigation  it  shall  be  proven  before  the  Municipal 
Court  that  the  writ  or  process  has  been  issued  either 
through  private  pique,  malicious  intent,  religious 
or  other  persecution,  falsehood  or  misrepresentation, 
contrary  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  -States 
or  of  this  State,  the  said  writ  or  process  shall  be 
quashed,  and  considered  of  no  force  or  effect,  and 
the  prisoner  or  prisoners  shall  be  released  and  dis- 
charged therefrom. 

SEC.  3.  And  be  it  also  further  ordained ,  That  in 
the  absence,  sickness,  disability,  or  other  circum- 
stances, disqualifying  or  preventing  the  Mayor  from 
officiating  in  his  office  as  Chief  Justice  of  the  Mu- 
nicipal Court,  the  Aldermen  present  shall  appoint 
one  from  amongst  them  to  act  as  Chief  Justice  or 
President  pro  tempore. 

SEC.  4.  This  ordinance  to  take  effect  and  be  in 
force  from  and  after  its  passage. 

HYRUM  SMITH, 
Vice-Mayor  and  President  pro  tempore. 

Passed  August  8,  1842. 

JAMES  SLOAN,  Recorder. 

AN  ORDINANCE  concerning  Marriages. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  That  all  male  persons  over 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  females  over  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  may  contract  and  be  joined 
in  marriage ;  Provided,  In  all  cases  where  either 
party  is  a  minor,  the  consent  of  parents  or  guar- 
dians be  first  had. 

SEC.  2.  Any  persons  as  aforesaid  wishing  to  many, 
or  be  joined  in  marriage,  may  go  before  any  regu- 
lar Minister  of  the  Gospel,  Mayor,  Alderman,  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  Judge,  or  other  person  author- 
ized to  solemnize  marriages  in  this  State,  and 
celebrate  or  declare  their  marriage  in  such  manner 
and  form  as  shall  be  most  agreeable,  either  with  or 
without  license. 


474  THE  PROPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 

W-... 

SEC.  3.  Any  person  solemnizing  a  marriage  as 
aforesaid,  shall  make  return  thereof  to  the  City 
Recorder,*  accompanied  by  a  recording  fee  of  fifty 
cents,  within  thirty  days  of  the  solemnization 
thereof;  and  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  Re- 
corder to  keep  an  accurate  record  of  all  such  mar- 
riages. The  penalty  for  a  violation  of  either  of  the 
provisions  of  this  ordinance  shall  be  twenty  dollars, 
to  be  recovered  as  other  penalties  or  forfeitures. 

JOHN  C.  BENNETT, 

Mayor. 

Passed  Feb.  17,  1842. 

JAMES  SLOAN,  Recorder. 

Number  One  again  provided  for,  in  the  following 
ordinance  : 

AN  OKDINANCE  for  the  Health  and  Convenience  of 

Travellers  and  other  persons. 
SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  That  the  Mayor  of  the  City 
be  and  is  hereby  authorized  to  sell  or  give  spirits, 
of  any  quantity,  as  he  in  his  wisdom  shall  judge  to 
be  for  the  health,  comfort  or  convenience  of  such 
travellers  or  other  persons,  as  shall  visit  his  house 
from  time  to  time. 

JOSEPH  SMITH, 

Mayor. 

Passed  Dec.  12,  1842. 
W.  RICHARDS,  Recorder. 

AN  EXTRA  ORDINANCE  for  the  extra  case  of  Joseph 

Smith,  and  others. 

[Preamble  recounting  /Smith's  difficulties  with 
Missouri  omitted.  ] 

*  The  statutes  of  the  State  of  Illinois  require  that  a  license 
shall  first  be  obtained  from  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk,  and 
that  the  person  solemnizing  marriages  shall  make  his  return 
to  said  officer. 


CITY    ORDINANCES.  475 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  According  to  the  intent  and 
meaning  of  the  Charter,  *'  for  the  benefit  and  con- 
venience," That  hereafter  if  any  person  or  persons 
shall  come  with  process,  demand,  or  requisition 
founded  upon  the  aforesaid  Missouri  difficulties,  to 
arrest  said  Joseph  Smith,  he  or  they  shall  be  sub- 
ject to  be  arrested  by  any  officer  of  the  city,  with 
or  without  process,  and  tried  by  the  Municipal 
Court,  upon  testimony,  and  if  found  guilty,  sen- 
tenced to  imprisonment  in  the  city  prison  for  life, 
which  convict  or  convicts  can  only  be  pardoned  by 
the  Governor,  with  the  consent  of  the  Mayor  of  said 
city.  .  .  . 

JOSEPH  SMITH, 

Mayor. 

Passed  Dec.  8,  1843. 

W.  KICHARDS,  Recorder. 

AN  ORDINANCE  To  Prevent  unlawful  Search  or 
Seizure  of  Person  or  Property,  by  Foreign 
Process,  in  the  City  of  Nauvoo. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  "by  the  City  Council 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  To  prevent  kidnapping,  ille- 
gal arrests  of  persons,  or  unlawful  searches  for 
property,  that  all  writs  issued  out  of  the  city  shall, 
before  they  are  executed  within  the  limits  of  the 
city,  be  examined  by  and  receive  the  approval  and 
signature  of  the  Mayor  of  said  city  on  the  back  of 
said  process,  and  be  served  by  the  Marshal  of  said 
city. 

SEC.  2.  And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  every 
officer  who  shall  execute,  or  attempt  to  execute,  any 
process  as  aforesaid,  without  first  obtaining  the 
approval  and  signature  of  the  Mayor  of  said  city,  as 
specified  in  the  first  section  of  this  ordinance,  shall 
be  subject  to  a  fine  of  not  less  than  five  dollars  nor 
more  than  one  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisonment 


476  THE    P&OPHET    OF   PALMYJRA. 

not  less  than  one  month  nor  more  than  six  months 
in  the  city  prison,  or  both,  as  a  breach  of  ordinance 
to  be  tried  before  the  Municipal  Court  of  said  city. 

JOSEPH  SMITH, 

Mayor. 

Passed  Dec.  21,  1843. 
WILLARD  RICHARDS,  Recorder. 

AMENDMENT. 

SEC.  3.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council  of 
the  City  of  JSFauvoo,  That  nothing  in  the  foregoing 
ordinance  shall  be  so  construed  as  to  prevent,  hinder 
or  thwart  the  designs  of  justice,  or  to  retard  the 
civil  officers  of  the  State  or  county  in  the  discharge 
of  their  official  duties ;  but  to  aid  and  assist  them 
within  the  limits  of  this  city. 

JOSEPH  SMITH, 
Mayor. 

Passed  Jan.  10,  1844. 

WILLARD  RICHARDS,  Recorder. 

AN  ORDINANCE  entitled  < '  An  Ordinance  to  Repeal 
certain  Ordinances  therein  named." 

WJiereas,  An  Ordinance  entitled  "An  Ordinance 
for  the  extra  case  of  Joseph  Smith  and  others," 
passed  Dec.  8,  1843,  and,  Whereas,  The  Ordinance 
entitled  "  An  Ordinance  to  prevent  unlawful  seizure 
and  search  of  person  and  property,  by  foreign  process 
in  the  City  of  Nauvoo,"  passed  Dec.  21, 1843,  have 
had  their  desired  effect  in  preserving  the  peace,  hap- 
piness, persons  or  property  of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo, 
according  to  their  intent  and  meaning;  therefore, 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  That  the  aforesaid  ordinances 
are  hereby  repealed. 

SEC.  2.  And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  noth- 
ing in  the  first  section  of  this  ordinance  shall  be  so 


CITY    ORDINANCES.  477 

construed  as  to  give  license  or  liberty  to  any  foreign 
officer,  or  other  person  or  persons,  to  illegally  dis- 
turb the  peace,  happiness  or  quiet  of  any  citizen  of 
said  city,  any  ordinance  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing, under  a  penalty  of  not  less  than  five 
hundred  dollars,  or  imprisonment  six  months  in  the 
city  prison. 

JOSEPH  SMITH, 
Mayor. 

Passed  Feb.,  1844. 

WILLARD  RICHARDS,  Recorder. 

AN  ORDINANCE  in  Relation  to  Religious  Societies. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council 
of  the  City  of  JWauvoo,  That  the  Catholics,  Presby- 
terians, Methodists,  Baptists,  Latter-Day  Saints, 
Quakers,  Episcopalians,  Universalists,  Unitarians, 
Mohammedans,  and  all  other  religious  sects  and 
denominations  whatever,  shall  have  free  toleration 
and  equal  privileges  in  this  city ;  and  should  any 
person  be  guilty  of  ridiculing,  abusing,  or  other- 
wise depreciating  another  in  consequence  of  his 
religion,  or  of  disturbing  or  interrupting  any  re- 
ligious meeting,  within  the  limits  of  this  city,  he 
shall  on  conviction  thereof  before  the  Mayor  or 
Municipal  Court,  be  considered  a  disturber  of  the 
public  peace,  and  lined  in  any  sum  not  exceeding 
five  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisoned  not  exceeding 
six  months,  or  both,  at  the  discretion  of  said  Mayor 
or  Court. 

[Published  without  date  or  official  signature.] 


478  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMY  HA. 


CHAPTEE    XLVITL 

TED     "  CELES 
KEVELATION. 

As  PUBLISHED  BY  BRIGHAM  YOUNG  IN  UTAH. 

A  Revelation  on  the  Patriarchal  Order  of  Matri- 
mony,  or  Plurality  of  Wives.  Given  to  Joseph 
Smith,  the  Seer,  in  Nauvoo,  July  12,  1843. 

1.  VERILY,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you  my  ser- 
vant Joseph,  that  inasmuch  as  you  have  inquired 
of  my  hand,  to  know  and  understand  wherein 
I,  the  Lord,  justified  my  servants  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob;  as  also  Moses,  David,  and  Solomon, 
my  servants,  as  touching  the  principle  and  doctrine 
of  their  having  many  wives  and  concubines  ;  Behold  ! 
and  lo,  I  am  the  Lord,  thy  God,  and  will  answer 
thee  as  touching  this  matter ;  Therefore,  prepare 
thy  heart  to  receive  and  obey  the  instructions  which 
I  am  about  to  give  unto  you ;  for  all  those  who 
have  this  law  revealed  unto  them,  must  obey  the 
same ;  for,  behold  !  I  reveal  unto  you  a  new  and 
everlasting  covenant ;  and  if  ye  abide  not  that  cov- 
enant, then  are  ye  damned ;  for  no  one  can  reject 
this  covenant,  and  be  permitted  to  enter  into  my 
glory  ;  for  all  who  will  have  a  blessing  at  my  hands 
shall  abide  the  law  which  was  appointed  for  that 
blessing,  and  the  conditions  thereof,  as  was  insti- 
tuted from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  :  and 
as  pertaining  to  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant, 
it  was  instituted  for  the  fulness  of  my  glory ;  and 


CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE  REVELATION.    479 

he  that  receiveth  a  fulness  thereof,  must  and  shall 
abide  the  law,  or  he  shall  be  damned,  saith  the 
Lord  God. 

2.  And  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  conditions 
of  this    law   are    these :  All    covenants,  contracts, 
bonds,  obligations,  oaths,  vows,  performances,  con- 
nexions, associations,  or  expectations,  that  are  not 
made    and   entered  into,  and   sealed,  by  the  holy 
spirit  of  promise,  of  him  who  is  anointed,  both  as 
well  for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  and  that  too  most 
holy,  by  revelation  and  commandment,  through  the 
medium  of  mine  anointed,  whom  I  have  appointed  on 
the  earth  to  hold  this  power  (and  I  have  appointed 
unto  my  servant  Joseph  to  hold  this  power  in  the 
last  days,  and  there  is  never  but  one  on  the  earth 
at  a  time,  on  whom  this  power  and  the  Keys  of  this 
Priesthood  are  conferred),  are  of  no  efficacy,  virtue, 
or  force,  in  and  after  the  resurrection  from  the  dead  ; 
for  all  contracts  that  are  not  made  unto  this  end, 
have  an  end  when  men  are  dead. 

3.  Behold  !  mine  house  is  a  house  of  order,  saith 
the  Lord  God,  and  not  a  house  of  confusion.     Will 
I  accept  of  an  offering,  saith  the  Lord,  that  is  not 
made  in  my  name  !  Or,  will  I  receive  at  your  hands 
that  which  I  have  not  appointed  !  And  will  I  appoint 
unto  you,  saith  the  Lord,  except  it  be  by  law,  even 
as  I  and  my  Father  ordained  unto  you,  before  the 
world  was  !     I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  give 
unto  you  this  commandment,  that  no  man   shall 
come  unto  the  Father  but  by  me,  or  by  my  word, 
which  is  my  law,  saith  the  Lord ;  and  everything 
that  is  in  the  world,  whether  it  be  ordained  of  men, 
by  thrones,  or  principalities,  or  powers,  or  things 
of  name,  whatsoever  they  may  be,  that  are  not  by 
me,  or  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  shall  be  thrown 
down,  and   shall    not  remain  after  men   are   dead, 
neither  in  nor  after  the  resurrection,  saith  the  Lord 
your  God  ;  for  whatsoever  things  remaineth,  are  by 


480  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA 

me ;  and  whatsoever  things  are  not  by  me,  shall  be 
shaken  and  destroyed. 

4.  Therefore,  if  a  man  marry  him  a  wife  in  the 
world,  and  he  marry  her  not  by  me,  nor  by  my 
word ;  and  he  covenant  with  her  so  long  as  he  is 
in  the  world,  and  she  with  him,  their  covenant  and 
marriage  is  not  of  force  when  they  are  dead,  and 
when  they  are  out  of  the  world  ;  therefore,  they  are 
not  bound  by  any  law  when  they  are  out  of  the 
world ;  therefore,  when  they  are  out  of  the  world, 
they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage  ;  but 
are  appointed  angels  in  heaven,  which  angels  are 
ministering  servants,  to  minister  to  those  who  are 
worthy  of  a  far  more,  and  an  exceeding,  and  an 
eternal  weight  of  glory ;  for  these  angels  did  not 
abide  my  la\v,  therefore  they  cannot  be  enlarged, 
but  remain  separately  and  singly,  without  exalta- 
tion, in  their  saved  condition,  to  all  eternity,  and 
from  henceforth  are  not  Gods,  but  are  angels  of 
God,  forever  and  ever. 

5.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man 
marry  a  wife  and  make  a  covenant  with  her  for  time 
and  for  all  eternity,  if  that  covenant  is  not  by  me 
or  by  my  word,  which  is  my  law,  and  is  not  sealed 
by  the  holy  spirit  of  promise,  through  him  whom  I 
have  anointed  and  appointed  unto  this  power — then 
it  is  not  valid,  neither  of  force  when  they  are  out 
of  the  world,  because  they  are  not  joined  by  me, 
saith  the  Lord,  neither  by  my  word  ;  when  they  are 
out  of  the  world,  it  cannot  be  received  there,  be- 
cause the  angels  and  the  Gods  are  appointed  there, 
by  whom  they  cannot  pass  ;  they  cannot,  therefore, 
inherit  my  glory,  for  my  house  is  a  house  of  order, 
saith  the  Lord  God. 

6.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man 
marry  a  wife  by  my  word,  which  is  my  law,  and  by 
the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and  it  is  sealed 
unto  them  by  the  holy  spirit  of  promise,  by  him  who 


CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE  REVELATION.    481 

is  anointed,  unto  whom  I  have  appointed  this  power, 
and  the  Keys  of  this  Priesthood  ;  and  it  shall  be 
said  unto  them,  ye  shall  come  forth  in  the  first 
resurrection  ;  and  if  it  be  after  the  first  resurrec- 
tion, in  the  next  resurrection  ;  and  shall  inherit 
thrones,  kingdoms,  principalities,  and  powers,  of 
dominions,  all  heights  and  depths — then  shall  it  be 
written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  that  he  shall 
commit  no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent 
blood,  and  if  ye  abide  in  my  covenant,  and  commit 
no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent  blood,  it  shall 
be  done  unto  them  in  all  things  whatsoever  my  ser- 
vant hath  put  upon  them,  in  time,  and  through  all 
eternity,  and  shall  be  of  full  force  when  they  are 
out  of  the  world  ;  and  they  shall  pass  by  the  angels, 
and  the  Gods,  which  are  set  there,  to  their  exalta- 
tion and  glory  in  all  things,  as  hath  been  sealed 
upon  their  heads,  which  glory  shall  be  a  fulness 
and  a  continuation  of  the  seeds  for  ever  and 
ever. 

7.  Then  shall  they  be  Gods,  because  they  have 
no  end ;  therefore  shall  they  be  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting,  because  they  continue  ;  then  shall  they 
be  above  all,  because  all  things  are  subject  unto 
them.     Then    shall    they   be    God's,  because  they 
have  all   power,  and   the  angels   are  subject  unto 
them. 

8.  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  abide 
my  law,  ye  cannot  attain  to  this  glory :  for  straight 
is-the  gate  and  narrow  the  way  that  leadeth  unto 
the  exaltation  and  continuation  of  the  lives,  and  few 
there  be  that  find  it,  because  ye  receive  me  not  in 
the  world,  neither  do  ye  know  me.     But  if  ye  re- 
ceive me  in  the  world,  then  shall  ye  know  me,  and 
shall  receive  your  exaltation,  that  where  I  am  ye 
shall  be  also.     This  is  eternal  lives,  to  know  the 
only  wise  and  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  he 
hath  sent.     I  am  he.     Receive  ye,  therefore,  my 


482  THE   PROPHET    OF   PALMYHA. 

law.  Broad  is  the  gate  and  wide  the  way  that  lead- 
eth  to  the  death ;  and  many  there  are  that  go  in 
thereat ;  because  they  receive  me  not,  neither  do 
they  abide  in  my  law. 

9.  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry 
a  wife  according  to  my  word,  and  they  are  sealed 
by  the  holy  spirit  of  promise,  according  to  mine 
appointment,  and  he  or  she  shall  commit  any  sin  or 
transgression  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant 
whatever,  and  all  manner  of  blasphemies,  and  if 
they  commit  no  murder,  wherein  they  shed  inno- 
cent blood — yet  they  shall  come  forth  in  the  first 
resurrection,  and  enter  their  exaltation ;  but  they 
shall  be  destroyed  in  the  flesh,  and  shall  be  deliv- 
ered unto  the  bufferings  of  Satan  unto  the  day  of 
redemption,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

10.  The  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
shall  not  be  forgiven  in  the  world,  nor  out  of  the 
world,  is  in  that  ye  commit  murder,  wherein  ye 
shed  innocent  blood,  and  assent  unto  my  death,  after 
ye  have  received  my  new  and  everlasting  covenant, 
saith  the  Lord  God  ;  and  he  that  abideth  not  this 
law,  can  in  no  wise  enter  into  my  glory,  but  shall 
be  damned,  saith  the  Lord. 

11.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  give  unto 
thee  the  law  of  my  Holy  Priesthood,  as  was  or- 
dained by  me,  and   my   Father,  before  the  world 
was.     Abraham  received  all  things,  whatsoever  he 
received,  by  revelation  and  commandment,  by  my 
word,  saith  the  Lord,  and  hath  entered  into  his 
exaltation,  and  sitteth  upon  his  throne. 

12.  Abraham  received  promises  concerning  his 
seed,  and  of  the  fruit  of  his  loin- — from  whose  loins 
ye  are,  namely,  my  servant  Joseph — which  were 
to  continue  so  long  as  they  were  in  the  world ;  and 
as   touching   Abraham    and    his    seed,  out   of  the 
world  they  should  continue  ;  both  in  the  world  and 
out  of  the  world  should  they  continue  as  innumer- 


CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE  REVELATION.    483 

able  as  the  stars  ;  or,  if  ye  were  to  count  the  sand 
upon  the  sea-shore,  ye  could  not  number  them. 
This  promise  is  yours,  also,  because  ye  are  of 
Abraham,  and  the  promise  was  made  unto  Abraham  ; 
and  by  this  law  are  the  continuation  of  the  works 
of  my  Father,  wherein  He  glorifieth  Himself.  Go 
ye,  therefore,  and  do  the  works  of  Abraham  ;  enter 
ye  into  my  law,  and  ye  shall  be  saved.  But  if 
ye  enter  not  into  my  law,  ye  cannot  receive  the 
promise  of  my  Father,  which  He  made  unto  Abra- 
ham. 

13.  God  commanded  Abraham,  and  Sarah  gave 
Hagar  to  Abraham  to  wife.     And  why  did  she  do 
it?     Because  this  was  the  law,  and  from  Hagar 
sprang  many  people.     This,  therefore,  was  fulfill- 
ing, among  other  things,  the  promises.     Was  Abra- 
ham, therefore,  under    condemnation?     Verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  Nay ;  for  I,  the  Lord,  commanded  it. 
Abraham  was  commanded  to  offer  his  son  Isaac ; 
nevertheless,  it  was  written,  thou  shall  not  kill. 
Abraham,   however,   did   not   refuse,   and  it  was 
accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness. 

14.  Abraham    received    concubines,    and    they 
bare  him  children,  and  it  was  accounted  unto  him 
for  righteousness,  because  they  were  given  unto  him, 
and  he  abode  in  my  law,  as  Isaac  also,  and  Jacob 
did  none  other  things  than  that  which  they  were 
commanded  ;  and  because  they  did  none  other  things 
than  that  which  they  were  commanded,  they  have 
entered  into  their  exaltation,  according  to  the  prom- 
ises, and  sit  upon  thrones,  and  are  not  angels,  but  are 
Gods.     David  also  received  many  wives  and  con- 
cubines, as  also  Solomon  and  Moses  my  servants ; 
as  also  many  others  of  my  servants,  from  the  be- 
ginning of  creation  until  this  time  ;  and  in  nothing 
did  they  sin,  save  in  those  things  which  they  received 
not  of  me. 

15.  David's  wives  and   concubines   were  given 


484  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

unto  him,  of  me,  by  the  hand  of  Nathan,  my  ser- 
vant, and  others  of  the  prophets  who  had  the  Keys 
of  this  power ;  and  in  none  of  these  things  did  he 
sin  against  me,  save  in  the  case  of  Uriah  and  his 
wife ;  and  therefore  he  hath  fallen  from  his  exalta- 
tion, and  received  his  portion ;  and  he  shall  not 
inherit  them  out  of  the  world  ;  for  I  gave  them  unto 
another,  saith  the  Lord. 

16.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  gave  unto 
thee,  my  servant  Joseph,  an  appointment,  and  re- 
store   all   things ;  ask   what  ye   will,  and  it  shall 
he  given  unto  you  according  to  my  word ;  and  as 
ye  have  asked  concerning  adultery — verily,  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  receiveth  a  wife  in  the  new 
and  everlasting  covenant,  and  if  she  be  with  another 
man,  and  I  have  not  appointed  unto  her  by  the 
holy  anointing,  she  hath  committed  adultery,  and 
shall  be  destroyed.     If  she  be  not  in  the  new  and 
everlasting  covenant,  and  she  be  with  another  man, 
she  has  committed  adultery ;  and  if  her  husband  be 
with  another  woman,  and  he  was  under  a  vow,  he 
hath  broken  his  vow,  and  hath  committed  adultery, 
and  if  she  hath  not  committed  adultery,  but  is  inno- 
cent, and  hath  not  broken  her  vow,  and  she  know- 
eth  it,  and  I  reveal  it  unto  you,  my  servant  Joseph,, 
then  shall  you  have  power,  by  the  power  of  my 
Holy  Priesthood,  to  take   her,  and  give  her  unto 
him  that  hath  not  committed    adultery,  but  hath 
been   faithful ;  for   he   shall    be  made   ruler   over 
many  ;  for  I  have  conferred  upon  you  the  Keys  and 
power   of  the    Priesthood,  wherein   I   restore   all 
things,  and  make  known  unto  you  all  things  in  due 
time. 

17.  And    verily,   verily  I    say  unto    you,    that 
whatsoever  you  seal   on   earth  shall   be  sealed  in 
heaven ;    and  whatsoever   you    bind    on    earth,   in 
my  name,  and  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  it  shall 
be  eternally  bound  in  the  heavens  ;  and  whosesoever 


CELESTIAL  MAEEIAGE  REVELATION.    485 

sins  ye  remit  on  earth,  shall  be  remitted  eternally 
in  the  heavens  ;  and  whosesoever  sins  you  retain  on 
earth,  shall  be  retained  in  heaven. 

18.  And  again,  verily  I   say,  whomsoever  you 
bless,  I  will  bless  ;  and  whomsoever  you  curse,  I 
will  curse,  saith  the  Lord ;  for  I,  the  Lord,  am  thy 
God. 

19.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  my  ser- 
vant Joseph,  that  whatsoever  you  give  on  earth, 
and  to  whomsoever  you  give  any  one  on  earth,  by 
my  word,  and  according  to  my  law,  it  shall  be  vis- 
ited with  blessings,  and  not  cursings,  and  with  my 
power,  saith  the  Lord,  and  shall  be  without  con- 
demnation on  earth,  and  in  heaven ;  for  I  am  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  will  be  with  thee  even  unto  the 
end   of  the  world,  and  through  all   eternity ;  for 
verily,  I  seal  upon  you  your  exaltation,  and  prepare 
a  throne  for  you  in  the  Kingdom  of  my  Father,  with 
Abraham  your  father.     Behold,  I  have  seen  your 
sacrifices,  and  will  forgive  all  your  sins ;  I  have 
seen  your  sacrifices  in  obedience  to  that  which  I 
have  told  you ;  go,  therefore,  and  I  make  a  way  for 
your  escape,  as  I  accepted  the  offering  of  Abraham, 
of  his  son  Isaac. 

20.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  a  commandment  I 
give  unto  mine  handmaid,  Emma  Smith,  your  wife 
whom  I  have  given  unto  you,  that  she  stay  herself, 
and  partake  not  of  that  which  I  commanded  you 
to  offer  unto  her;  for  I  did  it,  saith  the  Lord,  to 
prove  you  all,  as  I  did  Abraham  ;  and  that  I  might 
require  an  offering  at  your  hand,  by  covenant  and 
sacrifice  :   and  let  mine  handmaid,  Emma   Smith, 
receive  all  those  that  have  been  given  unto  my  ser- 
vant Joseph,  and  who  are  virtuous  and  pure  before 
me;  and  those  who  are  not  pure,  and  have  said 
they  were  pure,  shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord 
God  ;  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  ye  shall  obey 
my  voice ;  and  I  give  unto  my  servant  Joseph,  that 


486  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

he  shall  be  made  ruler  over  many  things,  for  he 
hath  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  and  from 
henceforth  I  will  strengthen  him. 

21 .  And  I  command  mine  handmaid  Emma  Smith, 
to  abide  and  cleave  unto  my  servant  Joseph,  and  to 
none  else.     But  if  she  will  not  abide  this  command- 
ment, she  shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord ;  for 
I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  destroy  her,  if 
she  abide  not  in  my  law ;  but  if  she  will  not  abide 
this  commandment,  then  shall  my  servant  Joseph 
do  all  things  for  her,  even  as  he  hath  said ;  and  I 
will  bless  him  and  multiply  him,  and  give  unto  him 
an  hundredfold  in  this  world,  of  fathers  and  mothers, 
brothers  and  sisters,  houses  and  lands,  wives  and 
children,  and  crowns  of  eternal  lives  in  the  eternal 
worlds.     And  again,  verily  I  say,  let  my  handmaid 
forgive  my  servant  Joseph  his  trespasses,  and  then 
shall  she  be  forgiven  her  trespasses,  wherein  she 
hath  trespassed  against  me  ;  and  I,  the  Lord  thy 
God,  will  bless  her,  and  multiply  her,  and  make 
her  heart  to  rejoice. 

22.  And  again,  I  say,  let  not  my  servant  Joseph 
put  his  property  out  of  his  hands,  lest  an  enemy 
come  and  destroy  him  ;  for  Satan  seeketh  to  destroy  ; 
for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  he  is  my  servant ; 
and  behold !  and  lo,  I  am  with  him,  as  I  was  with 
Abraham,  thy  Father,  even  unto  his  exaltation  and 
glory. 

23.  Now,  as  touching  the  law  of  the  Priesthood, 
there  are  many  things  pertaining  thereunto.     Ver- 
ily, if  a  man  be  called  of  my  Father,  as  was  Aaron, 
by  mine  own  voice,  and  by  the  voice  of  him  that 
sent  me  ;  and  I  have  endowed  him  with  the  Keys  of 
the  power  of  this  Priesthood,  if  he  do  anything  in 
my  name,  and  according  to  my  law,  and  by  my 
word,  he  will  not  commit  sin,  and  I  will  justify  him. 
Let  no  one,  therefore,  set  on  my  servant  Joseph ; 
for  I  will  justify  him  ;  for  he  shall  do  the  sacrifice 


CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE  REVELATION.    487 

which  I  require  at  his  hands,  for  his  trangressions, 
saith  the  Lord  your  God. 

24.  And  again,  as  pertaining  to  the  law  of  the 
Priesthood  :  If  any  man  espouse  a  virgin,  and  desire 
to  espouse  another,  and  the  first  give  her  consent ; 
and  if  he  espouse  the  second,  and  they  are  virgins, 
and   have   vowed   to   no   other   nianj   then   is   he 
justified ;  he  cannot  commit  adultery,  for  they  are 
given  unto   him ;  for  he   cannot  commit  adultery 
with  that  that  belongeth  unto  him  and  to  no  one  else  ; 
and  if  he  have  ten  virgins  given  unto  him  by  this  law, 
he  cannot  commit  adultery,  for  they  belong  to  him, 
and  they  are  given  unto  him,  therefore  is  he  justified. 
But  if  one  or  either  of  the  ten  virgins,  after  she  is 
espoused,  shall  be  with  another  man,  she  has  com- 
mitted adultery,  and  shall  be  destroyed  ;  for  they  are 
given  unto  him  to  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth, 
according  to  my  commandment,  and  to  fulfil  the 
promise  which  was  given  by  my  Father  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world ;  and  for  their  exaltation 
in  the  eternal  worlds,  that  they  may  bear  the  souls 
of  men  :  for  herein  is  the  work  of  my  Father  con- 
tinued, that  he  may  be  glorified. 

25.  And  again,  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if 
any  man  have  a  wife  who  holds  the  keys  of  this 
power,  and  he  teaches  unto  her  the  law  of  my  Priest- 
hood, as  pertaining  to  these  things,  then  shall  she 
believe,  and  administer  unto  him,  or  she  shall  be 
destroyed,  saith  the  Lord  your  God;  for  I  will 
destroy  her ;  for  I  will  magnify  my  name  upon  all 
those  who  receive  and  abide  in  my  law.  Therefore, 
it  shall  be  lawful  in  me,  if  she  receive  not  this  law, 
for  him  to  receive  all  things,  whatsoever  I,  the  Lord 
his  God,  will  give  unto  him,  because  she  did  not 
administer  unto  him  according  to  my  word ;   and 
she    then    becomes   the   transgressor ;    and    he    is 
exempt  from  the  law  of  Sarah,  who  administered 
unto  Abraham  according  to  the  law,  when  I  com- 


488  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

manded  Abraham  to  take  Hagar  to  wife.  And 
now,  as  pertaining  to  this  law,  verily,  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  I  will  reveal  more  unto  you  hereafter; 
therefore,  let  this  suffice  for  the  present.  Behold, 
I  am  Alpha  and  Omega.  AMEN. 


AND    ANECDOTES.  48t> 


CHAPTER    XLIX. 

MISCELLANEOUS    NOTES    AND    ANECDOTES. 

THE  KINDERHOOK  PLATES — TITLES  OF  THE  TWELVE — THE 
PROPHET  AS  A  LINGUIST — SOME  MORMON  METHODS — THE 
PROPHET  AND  CHURCH  AS  LAND  SPECULATORS — A  STORY 
FROM  STENHOUSE — BISHOP  JOHN  D.  LEE — THE  "  COR- 
RECTED" HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 

THE  KINDERHOOK  PLATES. 
THE  plates  known  as  the  Kinderhook  plates, 
have  been  referred  to  by  many  writers  on  Mor- 
monism,  as  having  some  connection  with  that  sys- 
tem. This  is  a  mistake.  They  had  no  more  to  do  with 
Mormonism,  or  the  Book  of  Mormon  or  the  Mor- 
mon Prophet,  than  with  the  downfall  of  Babylon, — 
excepting  that  they  were  exhibited  in  Nauvoo.  They 
were  not  discovered  at  Kinderhook,  New  York,  as 
stated  by  one  writer,  nor  in  Ohio,  as  related  by  others. 
They  were  dug  out  of  a  small  mound  at  Kinder- 
hook,  Pike  County,  Illinois,  about  seventy-five 
miles  south  of  Nauvoo,  in  or  about  1843,  by  Mr. 
Wiley,  a  merchant  of  that  place.  Intent  on  ascer- 
taining whether  a  mound  near  him  contained  any 
relics,  this  gentleman  had  the  mound  dug  into,  and 
these  plates,  among  other  things  of  minor  impor- 
tance, were  exhumed.  They  were  of  copper,  six 


400          THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

in  number,  about  three  inches  long,  and  bell-shaped, 
and  about  the  thickness  of  an  ordinary  tin  plate. 
The  writer  saw  and  examined  these  plates  about 
the  time  they  were  exhibted  at  Nauvoo.  Drawings 
were  made  of  one  side  of  at  least  two  of  them. 
What  became  of  them  afterwards  he  does  not  know. 
Most  probably  they  were  deposited  by  Mr.  Wiley 
in  some  museum  of  antiquities. 

TITLES  OF  THE  TWELVE. 

The  Twelve  Apostles  were  thus  designated  by 
W.  W.  Phelps,  as  published  in  the  Times  and 
Seasons,  at  Nauvoo,  in"  1841 :  his  own  name, — - 
we  believe  he  was  one  of  them, — being  modestly 
omitted : 

Brigham  Young — The  Lion  of  the  Lord. 
Parley  P.  Pratt — The  Archer  of  Paradise. 
Orson  Hyde — The  Olive  Branch  of  Israel. 
Willard  Richards — The  Keeper  of  the  Rolls. 
John  Taylor — The  Champion  of  Right. 
William  Smith—  The  Patriarch  of  Jacob's  Staff. 
Wilfred  Woodruff—  The  Banner  of  the  Gospel. 
George  A.  Smith— The  Entablature  of  Truth. 
Orson  Pratt — The  Gauge  of  Philosophy. 
John  E.  Page — The  Sun-Dial,  and 
Lyman  Wight — The  Wild  Ram  of  the  Mountains. 

THE  PROPHET  AS  A  LINGUIST. 
How  Mr.  Smith  became  a  linguist  it  is  hard  to 
tell,  seeing  he  was  so  ignorant  of  his  native  tongue. 
He  was  quite  fond  of  parading  his  acquirements  in 


NOTES    AND    ANECDOTES.  491 

that  respect  before  his  wondering  followers.  We 
give  some  specimens.  In  the  Times  and  Seasons, 
of  May  1,  1843,  he  gives  a  learned  dissertation  on 
the  derivation  of  the  name  Mormon.  He  says  : 

"  It  has  been  stated  that  this  word  was  derived 
from  the  Greek  word  mormo.  This  is  not  the 
case.  There  was  no  Greek  or  Latin  upon  the  plates 
from  which  I,  through  the  grace  God,  translated  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  Let  the  language  of  that  book 
speak  for  itself.  On  the  523d  page  of  the  4th 
edition  it  reads : 

"  *  And  now,  behold,  we  have  written  this  record 
according  to  our  knowledge  in  the  characters  which 
are  called  among  us  the  Reformed  Egyptian,  being 
handed  down  and  altered  by  us,  according  to  our 
manner  of  speech ;  and  if  our  plates  had  been  suf- 
ficiently large,  we  should  have  written  in  Hebrew ; 
but  the  Hebrew  hath  been  altered  by  us  also  ;  and 
if  we  could  have  written  in  Hebrew,  behold  ye 
would  have  had  no  imperfection  in  our  record ;  but 
the  Lord  knoweth  the  things  which  we  have  written, 
and  also  that  none  other  people  knoweth  our  lan- 
guage ;  therefore  he  hath  prepared  means  for  the 
interpretation  thereof.' 

"  Here,  then,  the  subject  is  put  to  silence  ;  for 
1  none  other  people  knoweth  our  language/  there- 
fore the  Lord,  and  not  man,  had  to  interpret,  after 
the  people  were  all  dead.  .  .  .  Before  I  give 
a  definition,  however,  to  the  word,  let  me  say  that 
the  Bible  in  its  widest  sense,  means  good;  for  the 
Saviour  says,  according  to  the  gospel  of  St.  John, '  I 
am  the  good  shepherd  ; '  and  it  will  not  be  beyond 
the  common  use  of  terms  to  say  that  good  is  among 
the  most  important  in  use,  and  though  known  by 
various  names  in  different  languages,  still  its  mean- 
ing is  the  same,  and  is  ever  in  opposition  to  bad. 


492  THE    PROPHET   OF  PALMYRA. 

We  say  from  the  Saxon,  good;  the  Dane,  god; 
the  German,  gut;  the  Dutch,  goed;  the  Latin, 
bonus;  the  Greek,  kalos;  the  Hebrew,  tob;  and 
the  Egyptian,  mon.  Hence,  with  the  addition  of 
more,  or  the  contraction  mor,  we  have  the  word 
Mormon;  which  means  literally  more  good. 

Luminous  and  lucid !  Then  again,  in  a  corre- 
spondence with  James  Arlington  Bennett,  a  < « crank  " 
lawyer,  residing  in  the  city  of  New  York,  the 
prophet  made  this  display  of  his  learning : 

<  *  Were  I  an  Egyptian,  I  would  exclaim  Jah-oh-eh, 
Enish-go-on-dosh,  Flo-ces  Flos-is-is,  (O,  the  earth, 
the  power  of  attraction,  and  the  moon  passing  be- 
tween her  and  the  sun)  ;  a  Hebrew,  Hanelo-heem 
yenan  ;  a  Greek,  O  theos  phos,  esi ;  a  Koman,  Dom- 
inus  regit  me  ;  a  German,  Got  gebe  uns  das  licht ; 
a  Portuguese,  Senhor  Jesu  Christo  e  liberda  de  ;  a 
Frenchman,  Dieu  defend  le  droit ;  but  as  I  am,  I 
give  God  the  glory,  and  say,  in  the  beautiful  lan- 
guage of  the  poet : 

4  Could  we  with  ink  the  ocean  fill, 

Was  the  whole  earth  of  parchment  made, 
And  every  single  stick  a  quill, 

And  every  man  a  scribe  by  trade, — 
To  write  the  love  of  God  above 

Would  drain  the  ocean  dry  ; 
Nor  could  the  whole  upon  the  scroll 

Be  spread  from  sky  to  sky.'  " 

Still  another  of  those  efforts,  and  the  last  one  we 
can  make  room  for  here,  is  to  be  found  in  an 
' <  Appeal  to  the  Green  Mountain  Boys,"  published 
in  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor  about  the  last  of  Jan- 
uary, 1843.  This  was  an  "  Address  to  the  Free- 


EXPLANATION  OP  THE  CUT  ON  OPPOSITE  PAGE. 

Fig.  1.  Kolob,  signifying  the  first  creation,  nearest  to  the  celestial,  or  the  residence 
of  God.  First  in  government,  the  last  pertaining  to  the  measurement  of  time. 
The  measurement,  according  to  celestial  time ;  which,  celestial  time,  signifies  one 
day  to  a  cubit.  One  day,  in  Kolob,  is  equal  to  a  thousand  years,  according  to  the 
measurement  of  this  earth,  which  is  called  by  the  Egyptians  Jah-oh-eh. 

Fig.  2.  Stands  next  to  Kolob,  called  by  the  Egyptians  Oliblish,  which  is  the  next 
grand  governing  creation,  near  to  the  celestial  or  the  place  where  God  resides; 
holding  the  key  of  power  also,  pertaining  to  other  planets ;  as  revealed  from 
God  to  Abraham,  as  he  offered  sacrifice  upon  an  altar,  which  he  had  built  unto 
the  Lord. 

Fig.  3.  is  made  to  represent  God,  sitting  upon  His  throne,  clothed  with  power  and 
authority :  with  a  crown  of  eternal  light  upon  his  head :  representing,  also,  the 
grand  Key- Words  of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  as  revealed  to  Adam  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  as  also  to  Seth,  Noah,  Melchisedeck,  Abraham,  and  all  to  whom  the  Priest- 
hood was  revealed. 

Fig.  4.  Answers  to  the  Hebrew  word  raukeeyang,  signifying  expanse,  or  the 
firmament  of  the  heavens;  also,  a  numerical  figure,  in  Egyptian,  signifying  one 
thousand;  answering  to  the  measuring  of  the  time  of  Oliblish,  which  is  equal 
with  Kolob  in  its  revolution  and  in  its  measuring  of  time. 

Fig.  5.  Is  called  in  Egyptian  Enish-go-on-dosh ;  that  is  one  of  the  governing 
planets  also :  and  is  said  by  the  Egyptians  to  be  the  Sun,  and  to  borrow  its  light 
from  Kolob  through  the  medium  of  Kae-e-vanrash,  which  is  the  grand  Key,  or  in 
other  words,  the  governing  power,  which  governs  fifteen  other  fixed  pjanets  or 
stars,  as  also  Floeese  or  the  Moon,  the  Earth  and  the  Sun  in  their  annual  revolutions. 
This  planet  receives  its  power  through  the  medium  of  Kli-flos-is-es,  or  Hah-ko- 
kau-beam.  the  stars  represented  by  numbers  22,  and  23,  receiving  light  from  the 
revolutions  of  Kolob. 

Fig.  6.  Represents  this  earth  in  its  four  quarters. 

Fig.  7.  Represents  God  sitting  upon  His  throne,  revealing,  through  the  heavens, 
the  grand  Key- Words  of  the  Priesthood ;  as,  also,  the  sign  of  the  Holy  Ghost  unto 
Abraham,  in  the  form  of  a  dove. 

Fig.  8.  Contains  writing  that  cannot  be  revealed  unto  the  world  ;  but  is  to  be 
had  in  the  Holy  Temple  of  God. 

Fig.  9.  Ought  not  to  be  revealed  at  the  present  time. 

Fig.  10.  Also. 

Fig.  11.  Also.— If  the  world  can  find  out  these  numbers,  So  let  it  be,  Amen. 

Figures  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  and  20,  will  be  given  tn  the  own  due  time 
of  the  Lord.  The  above  trausatiou  is  given  as  far  aa  we  have  any  right  to  give, 
at  the  present  time. 

This  cut  and  explanation  are  from  a  pamphlet  published  by 
Franklin  D.  Richards  in  Liverpool  in  1851,  who  presumes  true 
believers  "  will  appreciate  this  little  collection  of  precious  truths  as 
a  Pearl  of  Great  Price,"  and  he  therefore  gives  it  that  title.  A 
part  of  the  pamphlet  is  from  the  so-called  Book  of  Abraham. — "A 
translation  of  some  ancient  records,  that  have  fallen  into  our  hands 
from  the  catacombs  of  Egypt,  purporting  to  be  the  writings  of 
Abraham  while  he  was  in  Egypt,  called  The  Book  of  Abraham, 
written  by  his  own  hand,  upon  papyrus."  It  is  of  interest  in  con- 
nection with  the  claims  of  archaeological  knowledge  or  inspiration 
of  the  prophe* 


A  FAC-SIMILE  FROM  THE  BOOK  OF  ABRAHAM. 


NOTES    AND    ANECDOTES.  493 

trien  ot  the  State  of  Vermont,  the  brave  Green 
Mountain  Boys,  and  honest  men,"  and  contained  a 
recital  of  the  sufferings  of  himself  and  people  in 
Missouri,  etc.  It  starts  out  by  stating  that  he  was 
a  native  Vermonter,  and  that  his  father  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolution.  In  the  course  of  it  the 
following  paragraph  is  injected,  and  the  reader 
must  judge  what  connection  it  has  with  the  main 
subject : 

"  Were  I  a  Chaldean,  I  would  exclaim  :  'Keed'- 
naob  ta  maroon  le-hoani  elauhay  augh  deyshemay- 
augh  yah  aur  kan  ion  gua  abadoo,  yabadoo  ma'ar 
guan  bomen  tehoat  shemayaugh  elal.'  (Thus  shall 
ye  say  unto  them,  The  gods  that  have  not  made 
the  heavens  and  the  earth,  they  shall  perish  from 
the  earth  and  from  these  heavens.)  An  Egyptian  : 
4  Saeeh-mV  (What  other  persons  are  those?)  A 
Grecian:  'Diabolosbassilenei.'  (The  Devil  reigns.) 
A  Frenchman  :  «  Messieurs  sans  Dieu.'  (Gentlemen 
without  God.)  A  Turk:  'Ainsheurs.'  (The  fountain 
of  Light.)  A  German  :  '  Sie  sind  unferstandig.' 
(What  consummate  ignorance  !)  A  Syrian  :  *  Zan- 
bok.'  (Sacrifice.)  A  Spaniard:  *  II  sabio  muda 
conscio,  il  nescio  no.'  (A  wise  man  reflects,  a  fool 
does  not.)  A  Samaritan  :  4  Sannau.'  (O  stranger  !) 
An  Italian  :  'A  tempa  !  O  diffidanza  ! '  (O  the 
times!  O  the  diffidences!)  A  Hebrew  :  *Antoub 
ail  rancy.'  (Thou  God  seest  me.)  A  Dane  :  'Hoad 
tidende?'  (What  tidings?)  A  Saxon:  <  Hwart 
riht?  '  (What  right?)  A  Swede  :  «  Hvad  skilla  !  > 
(What  skill !)  A  Polander  :  «  Nav-yeu-shoo-bah 
poa  na  Jesu  Christus.'  (Blessed  be  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ.)  A  Western  Indian  :  *  She-mo-kah, 
she-mo-kah,  ough  nega.'  (The  white  man,  O  the 


494          THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

white  man,  he  very  uncertain.)  A  Konmn  :  <  Pro- 
col,  o  procol  este  pvofain.'  (Be  off,  be  off,  ye 
profane.)  But  as  I  am,  I  will  only  add:  *  When 
the  wicked  rule,  the  people  mourn.' " 

SOME  MORMON  METHODS. 

The  following  plain  story,  told  us  by  a  gen- 
tleman of  undoubted  veracity,  who  resided  not 
many  miles  from  Nauvoo,  tells,  as  well  as  volumes 
could  tell,  the  methods  resorted  to  by  the  leader  s 
to  filch  the  hard  earnings  of  their  followers,  for 
their  own  aggrandizement  and  for  the  temple  fund  ; 
and  it  also  furnishes  a  reason  why  the  Mormons 
were  so  objectionable  as  neighbors.  We  give  it  in 
his  own  words : 

'  *  I  often  went  with  produce  to  Nauvoo  ;  and  it 
mattered  little  what  kind  it  was,  so  it  was  some- 
thing people  could  live  on  ;  and  if  at  any  time  my 
stuff  vas  dull  sale,  I  would  go  the  Committee 
Eooms  [the  <  Lord's  Store  House,'] ,  and  could 
always  trade  it  off  for  something.  They  had  almost 
every  conceivable  thing,  from  all  kinds  of  imple- 
ments and  men's  and  women's  clothing  down  to  baby 
clothes  and  trinkets, — which  had  been  deposited  as 
tithing  by  t'.te  owners,  or  for  the  benefit  of  the 
temple. 

"  In  the  fall  of  1843  I  went  to  Nauvoo  to  buy 
calves,  and  calltd  on  a  blind  man  who  had  one  to 
sell.  I  bought  his  calf, — and  being  curious  to  learn 
his  history,  went  in  and  saw  his  wife,  with  little 
twin  infants  in  a  crrdle,  and  great  destitution.  He 
told  me  that  he  had  a  nice  home  in  Massachu- 
setts, which  gave  them  a  good  support.  But  one 
of  the  Mormon  elders  preaching  in  that  country, 


NOTES    AND    ANECDOTES.  495 

called  on  him  and  told  him  that  if  he  would  sell  out 
and  go  to  Nauvoo,  the  prophet  would  open  his  eyes 
and  restore  his  sight.  And  he  sold  out,  and  had 
come  to  the  city,  and  had  spent  all  his  means,  and 
was  now  in  great  need.  I  asked  him  why  the 
prophet  did  not  open  his  eyes.  He  replied  that 
Joseph  had  informed  him  that  he  couldn't  open  his 
eyes  till  the  temple  ivas  finished:  and  then,  when 
the  temple  was  finished,  he  would  open  them,  and 
he  should  see  better  than  before.  And  he  believed, 
and  was  waiting  patiently  for  the  last  stroke  to  be 
made  on  the  temple  ! 

"After  this  interview,  when  in  Nauvoo  I  often 
took  them  something,  and  the  blind  man's  wife 
seemed  to  think  I  was  one  of  the  Saints.  One  day 
I  inquired  how  they  were  getting  along.  She  told 
me  they  had  been  getting  along  finely  ;  that  there 
was  a  company  formed  to  go  out  on  the  prairie 
and  butcher  cattle  to  get  beef  for  the  destitute; — 
and  that  they  had  been  well  supplied  until  about 

a  week  ago ;  but  Brother was  mean  enough 

to  tell  on  them,  and  now  they  dare  not  go  out  any 
more  to  the  prairie  for  beef — *  and  what  to  do  we 
don't  know.'  "  Bancroft  LlbWf 

Going  out  to  the  prairie  for  beef,  was  to  procure 
it  from  anybody's  cattle  that  ranged  there. 

THE  PROPHET  AND  CHURCH  AS  LAND  SPECULATORS. 

The  church  and  its  head  were  speculators  in 
lands  and  town  lots  in  and  about  Nauvoo.  Of  course, 
a  monopoly  of  the  business  was  desired.  One  of 
the  methods  to  secure  this  was  to  keep  the  follow- 
ing notice  standing  in  the  columns  of  the  Neigh- 
bor: 


496  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

' '  NOTICE. — To  Emigrants  and  Latter- Day  Saints 
generally :  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  say  to  the  brethren 
generally,  and  especially  to  those  who  are  emigrat- 
ing to  this  place,  that  there  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
trustee  in  trust,  a  large  quantity  of  lands,  both  in 
the  city  and  adjoining  townships,  in  this  county, 
which  is  for  sale,  some  of  which  belongs  to  the 
church,  and  is  designed  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor, 
and  also  to  liquidate  debts  owing  by  the  church, 
for  which  the  trustee  in  trust  is  responsible.  Some, 
also,  is  land  which  has  been  consecrated  for  the 
building  of  the  Temple  and  the  Nauvoo  House.  If 
the  brethren  who  move  in  here  and  want  an  inherit- 
ance, will  buy  their  lands  of  the  trustee  in  trust, 
they  will  thereby  benefit  the  poor,  the  Temple,  and 
the  Nauvoo  House,  and  even  then  only  be  doing 
that  which  is  their  duty,  and  which  I  know,  by 
considerable  experience,  will  be  vastly  for  their  ben- 
efit and  satisfaction  in  days  to  come.  Let  all  the 
brethren,  therefore,  when  they  move  into  Nauvoo, 
consult  President  Joseph  Smith,  the  trustee,  etc., 
and  purchase  their  lands  of  him ;  and  I  am  bold  to 
say  that  Grod  will  bless  them,  and  they  will  here- 
after be  glad  they  did  so. 

"  We  hold  ourselves  ready  at  any  time  to  wait  on 
the  brethren,  and  show  them  the  lands  belonging 
to  the  Church,  and  the  Temple,  etc.,  and  can  be 
found  any  day  either  at  President  Joseph  Smith's 
bar-room,  or  the  Temple  Recorder's  Office  at  the 
Temple. 

"W.  CLAYTON, 
"(fork, 

Nauvoo,  Dec.  16,  1843." 

A  STORY  FROM  STENHOUSE. 

Some  years  since,  Mr.  T.  B.  H.  Stenhouse,  a 
former  Mormon  Elder  in  Utah,  issued  a  work  enti- 


NOTES    AND    ANECDOTES.  499 

mon  mode  of  dealing  with  offenders,  of  which  Sten- 
house  has  noted  many  examples. 

JOHN  D.  LEE. 

The  reader  will  remember  this  individual  as  the 
man  who  was  made  the  scape-goat  of  the  authorities 
in  Utah,  some  years  ago,  and  was  tried,  found  guilty, 
and  executed,  for  his  participation  in  the  massacre 
at  Mountain  Meadows.  Lee  was  a  resident  of 
Nauvoo  in  1843,  and  in  good  standing;  was  sent 
out  as  a  traveling  elder.  He  was  afterwards  ad- 
vanced to  the  position  of  bishop,  and  at  the  time 
of  said  massacre  was  known  in  Utah  as  Bishop 
Lee.  It  is  plain  that  Lee  was  sacrificed  to  save 
men  higher  in  authority  than  he. 

THE  "CORRECTED"  HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 
The  Publishing  Committee  of  the  "  Recon- 
structed "  Church  at  Piano,  Illinois  (since  located 
at  Lamoni,  Iowa),  publish  a  handsome  edition  of 
the  Bible,  which  they  entitle  "The  Holy  Script- 
ures, Translated  and  Corrected  by  the  Spirit  of 
Revelation,  by  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  Seer."  The 
.history  of  this  book  is  thus  given  in  its  preface : 

"  This  Work  is  given  to  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints  and  to  the  public  in 
pursuance  of  the  commandment  of  God. 

"  As  concerning  the  manner  of  translation  and 
correction,  it  is  evident,  from  the  MSS.  and  the 
testimony  of  those  who  were  conversant  with  the 


APPENDIX. 


THE  LEADERS  IN  THE   REVOLT  AT  NAUVOO. 

THE  principal  leaders  in  the  revolt  at  Nauvoo,  and  the 
proprietors  of  the  Expositor 4  c  nuisance,"  were  the  two  Gen- 
erals in  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  William  and  Wilson  Law,  Dr. 
Robert  D.  and  Charles  A.  Foster,  Francis  and  Chaun- 
cey  Higbee,  and  Sylvester  Emmans.  Of  course  these  all 
*'  vamosed  the  ranche"  when  the  press  was  destroyed,  as 
it  had  become  decidedly  unsafe  for  them  to  remain  longer 
in  the  city.  They  had  all  been  prominent  men  there,  and 
some  of  them  had  been  influential  leaders. 

MR.  EMMANS  was  understood  to  have  been  a  lawyer, 
not  a  member  of  the  church,  but  an  adventurer  who  came 
there  to  seek  practice.  He  seems  to  have  been  well  re- 
ceived, as  in  a  short  period  he  was  advanced  to  a  mem- 
bership in  the  city  council.  What  grievance  he  had  to 
induce  him  to  join  the  rebellion  we  have  never  learned. 
His  name  stood  in  its  editorial  columns  as  editor  of  the 
paper.  He  afterwards  located  at  Beardstown,  Illinois, 
and  for  several  years  conducted  a  newspaper  there. 

FRANCIS  M.  and  CHAUNCEY  L.  HIGBEE  were  two 
brothers,  sons  of  an  early  disciple  of  the  prophet,  who  had 
been  with  him  in  Kirtland  and  Missouri,  and  afterwards 
had  gone  with  him  as  an  emissary  to  Washington.  He  had 
died  soon  after  locating  in  Nauvoo.  The  elder  son, 
Francis,  became  intimate  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Rigdon, 
and  we  believe  married  his  daughter,  but  died  many 
years  ago.  Chauncey  Higbee  left  the  city  and  settled  in 
Pittsfield,  Illinois,  studied  law  and  became  a  judge,  in 
which  position  he  served  successfully  and  honorably  in  the 
circuit  in  which  Nauvoo  is  situated,  and  is  now  dead. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  Judge  Higbee  lived  to  regret  the 
years  of  his  youth  and  reckless  inexperience  among  the 
Mormons — always  dealining  to  be  consulted  or  inter- 


504  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

viewed  on  the  subject,  and  remarking,  as  he  once  did  to 
the  writer,  that  the  subject  was  a  distasteful  one. 

DR.  ROBERT  D.  and  CHARLES  A.  FOSTER  were  broth- 
ers, who  early  made  their  appearance  in  Nauvoo,  but  it  is 
not  remembered  whether  they  came  from  Missouri  or  not. 
Dr.  Foster  was  a  physician  of  considerable  intelligence 
and  capacity,  and  stood  well  with  the  leaders ;  so  much 
so  that  in  1843  lie  was  put  forward  and  elected  to  the 
responsible  office  of  county  school  commissioner,  re- 
ceiving the  support  of  the  leaders  and  the  almost  undi- 
vided vote  of  the  sect.  He  was  holding  that  office  at  the 
time  he  joined  the  insurrection.  These  brothers  after- 
ward removed  to  some  point  on  the  Mississippi  above, 
and  have  since  disappeared  from  public  view. 

The  GENERALS  LAW  were  converts  of  wealth  from 
Canada,  and  had  joined  the  fortunes  of  the  prophet  after 
the  u  stake  "  was  planted  at  Nauvoo.  They  went  into 
business  there,  and  were  for  several  years  active  and 
popular  business  men,  in  the  milling  line.  After  the  ex- 
pulsion of  the  rebels,  they  too  went  north  and  settled  in 
Wisconsin,  poorer  but  wiser  men.  We  close  this  sketch 
of  the  revolters  by  copying  in  part  the  report  of  an  inter- 
view held  with  General  William  Law,  as  late  as  in  1887, 
at  the  home  of  his  son,  Judge  Thomas  Law,  at  Shulls- 
burgh,  Wisconsin.  If  living  now  he  is  an  octogenarian. 
He  was  interviewed  by  a  Dr.  Wyl  of  Salt  Lake  City,  who 
published  it  in  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune.  Wilson  Law  is 
long  since  dead. 

The  statements  of  the  interview  must  be  taken  for 
what  they  are  worth.  While  many  of  them  are  corrob- 
orated elsewhere  and  in  many  ways,  there  are  others 
that  need  verification,  and  some  that  probably  exist  only 
in  the  mind  of  the  narrator.  One  fact,  however,  will  ob- 
trude itself  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader — that  while  these 
seceders  are  making  all  these  damaging  statements  against 
the  prophet  and  the  leaders  at  Nauvoo,  it  is  remembered 
that  only  a  year  or  so  earlier  they  were  denying  them 
when  made  by  others.  It  is  for  them  to  reconcile  these 
damaging  facts. 

INTERVIEW  WITH  WILLIAM   LAW,  MARCH   30,  1887. 
Dr.  William  Law  lives  with  his  son,  Judge  "  Tommy  " 
Law.      The   house  is   a  fine  cottage,  large,   well-kept 


APPENDIX.  505 

grounds  surround  it.  We  entered  a  cheerful  looking 
room  and  there  sat  William  Laiv,  dressed  in  black,  a 
most  venerable  looking  figure.  The  head  has  a  striking- 
expression  of  intelligence,  the  large,  clear  eyes  are  of  a 
remarkably  deep  steel  blue  ;  the  general  impression  is 
that  of  a  thinker,  of  a  benevolent  and  just  man.  He 
greeted  me  in  a  fatherly  way.  I  expressed  my  joy  at 
seeing  at  last  so  important  a  witness  of  a  history  to 
whose  study  I  had  devoted  two  years. 

I  sat  down  near  the  venerable  figure.  I  hesitated  to 
put  any  questions  to  him,  but  he  made  my  task  easy  by 
saying:  "You  speak,  in  your  book,  of  Joseph  Smith 
having  sent  Rockwell  to  kill  Governer  Boggs.  Let  me 
tell  you,  that  Joe  Smith  told  me  the  fact  himself.  The 
words  were  substantially  like  this :  "I  sent  Rockwell  to 
kill  Boggs,  but  he  missed  him,  it  was  a  failure ;  he 
wounded  him  instead  of  sending  him  to  Hell." 

This  beginning  gave  me  some  courage,  and  I  began 
the  pumping  business,  in  a  cautious  way,  though,  that  I 
might  not  frighten  my  subject.  I  had  put  down  in  my 
note-book  a  score  of  questions  or  so.  So  I  glanced  over 
them  now  and  then,  stealthily,  and  ventured  this  or  that 
question,  waiting  till  the  good  doctor  would  get  warm  in 
the  recollections  of  the  past.  This  happened  soon  and 
then  I  could  ask  with  more  liberty. 

"  What  position  had  Rockwell  in  Joseph's  house?" 

u  Rockwell  was  the  lackey  of  the  house.  He  used  to 
comb  and  shave  Joseph,  blackened  his  boots,  and  drove 
his  carriage.  He  would  have  done  anything  Joe  wanted 
him  to  do.  I  never  saw  a  horse  or  carriage  belonging  to 
Rockwell  which  you  say  he  got  from  Joseph  for  the  at- 
tempt to  kill  Boggs." 

The  reader  will  easily  understand  that  I  had  particular 
reasons  to  ask  about  the  Expositor,  Wm.  Law  being  the 
only  surviving  publisher  and  editor  of  that  celebrated 
sheet,  born  and  killed  June  7,  1844.  So  I  began : 

"I  suppose  that  you  originated  the  Expositor •,  Dr. 
Law?" 

"Yes,  I  originated  the  idea  to  publish  that  paper.  I 
had  friends  in  many  parts  of  the  country.  They  knew 
that  I  had  become  a  member  of  the  Mormon  religion.  I 
wanted  to  show  them,  by  publishing  the  paper,  that  I 
had  not  been  in  a  fraud  willingly  (here  the  old  man's 


506  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

eyes  filled  with  tears  and  his  voice  trembled) .  I  started 
the  idea,  and  my  brother  Wilson,  stood  to  me  like  a 
brother  should.  I  don't  remember  whether  it  was  I,  or 
not,  who  gave  the  name  c  Expositor.'  But  I  and  my 
brother,  we  gave  the  money,  about  $2,000.  I  gave  the 
biggest  part.  The  Higbees  etc.,  had  scarcely  a  dollar 
in  it." 

"  You  were  well  off  at  that  time,  Dr.  Law? " 
"  We  had  property  to  the  amount  of  about  $30,000, 
which  was  a  good  deal  in  those  days.  We  had  farms  in 
Nauvoo,  city  lots,  and  our  residences.  My  brother  had 
a  fine  brick  two-story  building.  By  starting  the  Expos- 
itor we  lost  nearly  everything." 

"  Didn't  you  have  a  store  and  a  mill?  " 
"Yes,  we  had  a  large  steam  flour  and  sawmill  and  a 
store.  It  would  have  been  the  smart  thing  to  do,  to  re- 
main quiet,  sell  our  property  without  noise  for  what  we 
could  get,  and  move  away.  That  would  have  been  smart, 
but  I  wasn't  cool  and  smart  then.  I  wanted  to  do  my 
duty  and  nothing  else,  and  didn't  care  for  the  conse- 
quences, not  a  bit.  Many  friends  advised  me  to  be 
smart  and  remain  quiet,  but  I  would  not  hear  of  it  and 
spoke  my  mind  whenever  an  opportunity  offered.  (  When 
the  Smiths  saw  that  we  were  against  them,  then  they  ap- 
plied to  us  their  usual  system,  that  is,  to  freeze  us  out. 
Secret  orders  went  out  that  nobody  could  buy  property 
without  the  permission  of  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum,  or  the 
authorities,  as  they  called  them,  so  our  property  was  prac- 
tically worthless.  Yes,  my  brother  Wilson  stood  to  me 
like  a  man,  fully,  fearlessly.  He  died,  here  in  Shulls- 
burgh,  of  a  stroke  of  apoplexy,  after  an  illness  of  three 
days,  ten  years  ago.  He  was  a  very  fine  and  tremen- 
dously strong  man.  He  wrestled  with  Joe  in  Nauvoo 
and  threw  him  on  his  back." 

"  How  did  you  become  a  Mormon,  Doctor?" 
"  John  Taylor  and  Almon  W.  Babbitt  came  as  mission- 
aries to  Canada  and  preached  where  I  lived,  twenty-five 
miles  south  of  Toronto.  I  believe  that  Taylor  was  sincere 
then  and  I  believe  he  was  to  a  late  daytf  Finally  the  greed 
of  power  and  money  killed  his  conscience.  There  was, 
now  and  then,  a  good  man  in  Mormondom,  for  instance 
William  Marks.  He  was  a  very  good  man  and  knew  as 
little  of  the  secret  crimes  of  the  leaders  as  I  knew  myself.'' 


APPENDIX.  507 

"  The  letters  you  wrote  me,  made  me  suppose  that  the 
Smiths  tried  to  kill  you  when  they  saw  an  enemy  in 
you?" 

"  They  tried  to  get  rid  of  me  in  different  ways.  One 
was  ~by  poisoning.  I  was  already  out  of  the  church  when 
Hyrum  called  one  day  and  invited  me  for  the  next  day 
to  a  reconciliation  dinner  as  he  called  it,  to  his  house. 
He  said  Joseph  would  come  too.  He  invited  me  and  my 
wife.  He  was  very  urgent  about  the  matter,  but  I  de- 
clined the  invitation.  Now  I  must  tell  you  that  I,  in 
those  dangerous  days,  did  not  neglect  to  look  out  some- 
what for  the  safety  of  my  person,  and  that  I  kept  a  de- 
tective or  two  among  those  who  were  in  the  confidence 
of  the  Smiths.  That  very  same  evening  of  the  day  on 
which  Hyrum  had  been  to  my  house  inviting  me,  my  de- 
tective told  me  that  they  had  conceived  the  plan  to 
poison  me  at  the  reconciliation  dinner.  Their  object 
was  a  double  one.  My  going  to  the  dinner  would  have 
shown  to  the  people  that  I  was  reconciled,  and  my  death 
would  have  freed  them  of  an  enemy.  You  may  imagine 
that  I  didn't  regret  having  declined  that  amiable  invita- 
tion." 

"  Have  you  had  any  knowledge  of  cases  of  poisoning 
in  Nauvoo,  ordered  by  the  authorities  ?  " 

"I  know  that  several  men,  six  or  seven,  died  under 
very  suspicious  circumstances.  Among  them  were  two 
secretaries  of  the  prophet,  Mulholland  and  Blaskel 
Thompson.  I  saw  Mulholland  die,  and  the  symptoms 
looked  very  suspicious  to  me.  Dr.  Foster,  who  was  a 
very  good  physician,  believed  firmly  that  those  six  or 
seven  men  had  been  poisoned,  and  told  me  so  repeatedly." 

' '  What  may  have  been  the  reason  for  poisoning  the 
secretaries  ?  " 

(With  a  smile)  "They  knew  too  much,  probably." 

"What  do  you  know  about  the  Danites?" 

"  Nothing  of  my  personal  knowledge.  They  existed, 
but  their  workings  were  kept  very  secret.  I  never  be- 
longed to  the  initiated.  Smith  tried  very  hard  to  get 
them  to  kill  me.  One  day  my  detective  told  me,  that 
two  Danites  had  gone  to  Joseph  and  told  him  that  they 
wanted  to  put  me  out  of  the  way.  Joseph  said  :  '  Don't 

he  (Law)  is  too  influential ;  his  death  would  bring  the 

country  down  upon  us;  wait:  Later,  when  I  was 


508  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

thoroughly  aware  of  my  danger,  they  tried  in  all  man- 
ners to  use  me  up,  and  had  Danites  all  day  and  night 
after  me,  but  I  looked  out  and  kept  myself  safe.  What- 
ever there  was  of  crime  in  Nauvoo,  was  kept  secret.  On 
the  outside  everything  looked  nice  and  smooth.  There 
were  lots  of  strangers  every  Sunday  as  visitors  and  then 
the  best  speakers  were  put  on  the  stand  as  samples  of 
the  fruits  of  this  fine  religion." 

"  Did  Emma,  the  elect  lady,  come  to  your  house  and 
complain  about  Joseph  ?  " 

u  No.  She  never  came  to  my  house  for  that  purpose. 
But  I  met  her  sometimes  on  the  street,  and  then  she  used 
to  complain,  especially  because  of  the  girls  whom  Joseph 
kepi  in  the  house,  devoting  his  attention  to  them.  You 
have  overrated  her,  she  was  dishonest." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  she  was  so  outside  of  the 
influence  Joseph  had  over  her?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  exactly  what  I  mean.  Let  me  tell  you 
a  case,  that  will  be  full  proof  to  you.  Soon  after  my 

arrival  in  Nauvoo  the  two  L girls  came  to  the  holy 

city,  two  very  young  girls,  15  to  17  years  of  age.  They 
had  been  converted  in  Canada,  were  orphans  and  worth 
about  $8,000  in  English  gold.  Joseph  got  to  be  ap- 
pointed their  guardian,  probably  with  the  help  of  Dr. 
Bennett.  He  naturally  put  the  gold  in  his  pocket  and 
had  the  girls  sealed  to  him.  He  asked  me  to  go  on  his 
bond  as  a  guardian,  as  Sidney  Rigdon  had  done.  '  It 
is  only  a  formality,'  he  said.  Foolishly  enough,  and 
not  yet  suspecting  anything,  I  put  my  name  on  the 
paper.  Emma  complained  about  Joseph's  living  with 
the  L girls,  but  not  very  violently.  It  is  my  con- 
viction that  she  was  his  full  accomplice,  that  she  was 
not  a  bit  better  than  he.  When  I  saw  how  things  went, 
I  should  have  taken  steps  to  be  released  of  that  bond, 
but  I  never  thought  of  it.  After  Joseph's  death,  A.  W. 
Babbitt  became  guardian  of  the  two  girls.  He  asked 
Emma  for  a  settlement  about  the  $8,000.  Emma  said 
she  had  nothing  to  do  with  her  husband's  debts.  Now 
Babbitt  asked  for  the  books,  and  she  gave  them  to  him. 
Babbitt  found  that  Joseph  had  counted  an  expense  of 
about  $3,000  for  board  and  clothing  of  the  girls.  Now 
Babbitt  wanted  the  $5,000  that  was  to  be  paid.  Babbitt, 
who  was  a  straight,  good,  honest,  sincere  man,  set  about 


APPENDIX.  509 

to  find  out  property  to  pay  the  $5,000  with.  He  could 
Jlnd  none.  Two  splendid  farms  near  Nauvoo,  a  big, 
brick  house,  worth  from  S3, 000  to  $4,000,  the  hotel  kept 
by  Joe,  a  mass  of  vacant  town  lots,  all  were  in  Emma's 
name,  not  transferred  later,  but  transferred  from  the  be- 
ginning. She  always  looked  out  for  her  part.  When  I 
saw  how  things  stood,  I  wrote  to  Babbitt  to  take  hold  of 
all  the  property  left  by  me  in  Nauvoo  and  of  all  claims 
held  by  me  against  people  in  Nauvoo.  And  so  the  debt 
was  paid  by  me — Emma  didn't  pay  a  cent." 

We  had  chatted  about  an  hour  when  Dr.  Law  said  that 
he  felt  a  little  tired.  I  kept  silent  for  a  few  minutes. 
The  old  gentleman  rallied  very  soon ,  and  began  to  speak 
without  being  questioned. 

"I  told  you  that  the  Smiths  tried  to  poison  me. 
When  Joseph  saw  that  I  had  no  great  appetite  for  recon- 
ciliation dinners,  he  tried  with  the  Indians.  The  plan 
was,  that  somebody  should  use  me  up  who  was  not 
openly  connected  with  the  church  ;  he  was  yet  afraid  of 
the  people  because  of  my  influence.  Later  he  would 
have  killed  me  without  any  regard.  One  day  about  one 
hundred  redskins  came  to  town,  and  twenty  or  thirty  were 
sent  to  my  house.  We  tried  to  get  rid  of  them,  but 
could  not,  and  we  saw  clearly  that  they  had  a  dark  plan 
for  the  night.  But  we  had  to  keep  them,  gave  them 
blankets,  and  they  were  all  night  in  our  hall.  Wilson 
Law,  I,  and  some  friends,  though,  kept  good  watch  all 
night,  with  barricaded  windows  and  doors,  and  guns  and 
pistols  ready." 

u  You  have  known  the  parents  of  the  prophet,  old 
Lucy  and  old  Joe,  the  Abraham  of  this  new  dispensa- 
tion?" 

44  Oh,  yes,  I  know  them.  Old  Lucy  was  in  her  dotage 
at  that  time  ;  she  seemed  a  harmless  old  woman.  Old 
Joe  sold  blessings,  so  much  a  head,  always  in  the  same 
style — that  my  sons  should  be  emperors  and  my  daugh- 
ters mothers  of  queens,  and  that  everybody  should  have 
as  many  children  as  there  was  sands  on  the  shore.  Old 
Joe  was  an  old  tramp." 

44  How  about  Dr.  Bennett?" 

44  Bennett  was  very  smart  and  clever,  but  a  thorough 
scoundrel.  Never  could  find  out  the  reason  of  his  down- 
fall. Mrs.  Pratt  was  a  most  excellent,  pure  woman,  but 


510  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

the  fact  that  Bennett  visited  her  sometimes,  was  used  by 
Joseph  to  ruin  her  character.  He  had  his  spies  every- 
where, and  if  a  woman  refused  him,  he  sent  his  fellows 
out  to  whisper  stories  around  about  her." 

"  What  do  you  remember  about  Emma's  relations  to 
the  revelation  on  celestial  marriage  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  told  you  that  she  used  to  complain  to  me  about 
Joseph's  escapades  whenever  she  met  me  on  the  street. 
She  spoke  repeatedly  about  that  pretended  revelation. 
She  said  once  :  '  The  revelation  says  I  must  submit  or  be 
destroyed.  Well,  I  guess  I  have  to  submit.'  On  another 
day  she  said  :  '  Joe  and  I  have  settled  our  troubles  on  the 
basis  of  equal  rights.'  .  .  .  Emma  was  a  full  accom- 
plice of  Joseph's  crimes.  She  was  a  large,  coarse  woman, 
as  deep  a  woman  as  there  was,  always  full  of  schemes 
and  smooth  as  oil.  They  were  worthy  of  each  other  ;  she 
was  not  a  particle  better  than  he." 

"  You  think  that  Joseph  was  an  infidel?  " 

"  Yes,  that  he  was  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt. 
What  proofs  have  I?  Well,  rny  general  and  intimate 
knowledge  of  his  character.  And  is  it  possible  that  a 
man,  who  ascribes  all  kinds  of  impudent  lies  to  the  Lord, 
could  have  been  anything  else  but  an  infidel  ?  " 

"I)id  you  ever  see  the  celebrated  peepstone?" 

"  No,  I  never  saw  it  and  I  never  saw  Joseph  giving  a 
revelation.  But  Hyrum  told  me  once  that  Joseph,  in  his 
younger  years,  used  to  hunt  for  hidden  treasures  with  a 
peepstone." 

u  Was  Joseph  a  habitual  drunkard?" 

*'  I  don't  believe  he  was.  I  only  saw  him  drunk  once. 
I  found  Joseph  and  Hyrum  at  a  place  where  they  kept 
quantities  of  wine.  I  remember  that  Joseph  drank 
heavily,  and  that  I  talked  to  Hyrum,  begging  him  to  take 
his  brother  away,  but  that  was  the  only  time  I  saw  the 
prophet  drunk." 

"  Have  you  ever  heard  of  the  old  woman  that  was 
drowned  in  the  interest  of  the  church  ?  " 

"I  have  heard  of  a  woman  being  put  aside.  They 
said  she  had  been  brought  over  the  river  and  buried 
on  an  island  near  the  shore  or  on  the  other  shore, 
near  the  water.  But  at  that  time  I  did  not  believe  a 
word  of  rumors  of  this  kind,  and  did  not  investigate 
them." 


APPENDIX.  511 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  abortion  being  practiced  in 
Nauvoo?" 

u  Yes.  There  was  some  talk  about  Joseph  getting  no 
issue  from  all  the  women  he  had  intercourse  with.  Dr. 
Foster  spoke  to  me  about  the  fact.  But  I  don't  remem- 
ber what  was  told  about  abortion.  If  I  heard  things  of 
the  kind,  I  didn't  believe  in  them  at  that  time.  Joseph 
was  very  free  in  his  talk  about  his  women.  He  told  me 
one  day  of  a  certain  girl  and  remarked,  that  she  had 
given  him  more  pleasure  than  any  girl  he  had  ever  en- 
joyed. I  told  him  it  was  horrible  to  talk  like  this." 

4 '  What  do  you  know  about  robbery  being  practiced 
for  the  benefit  of  the  church  ?  " 

"  That  sort  of  business  was  kept  very  secret.  Hyruin 
had  once  a  very  fine,  bran  new  blue  suit,  and  people  told 
me  the  suit  was  the  produce  of  the  spoils  of  the  Gentiles. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  Hyrum  played  an  important  role  in 
this  department  of  church  affairs.  I  think  I  can  prove 
it.  There  was  one  day  a  4  little  council '  called  in  Hy- 
rum's  office,  and  I  was  invited  to  come.  Joseph  called 
at  my  house  and  took  me  to  the  little  council.  Eight  or 
ten  were  present,  all  leaders  in  the  church.  Hyrum  made 
a  long  argument — said  he  :  '  The  Missourians  have  rob- 
bed, plundered  and  murdered  our  people.  We  should 
take  our  revenge  on  them  as  thoroughly  as  possible  and 
regain  what  we  have  lost  in  Missouri.  The  simplest  way 
would  be  if  our  people  would  go  to  Missouri  and  buy 
their  horses  and  cattle  on  credit,  and  then  not  x>ay  for  them; 
and  our  merchants  would  go  to  St.  Louis  and  take  their 
large  quantities  of  goods  on  credit  and  then,  when  the 
notes  became  due,  simply  not  pay  them  ;  our  people  always 
go  there  and  pay  for  everything.  That's  foolish,  very  fool- 
ish, but  it  is  just  the  thing  that,  for  instance,  Brother  Law 
is  doing.  He  has  paid  thousands  of  dollars  there  ;  but  get 
all  these  things  from  them  for  nothing,  horses,  cattle,  and 
goods,  that  would  help  the  people  wonderfully.  Our 
merchants  should  transfer  all  they  have — not  only  their 
stock  in  trade,  but  their  lots,  houses  and  farms,  too — to 
their  wives  and  friends  in  general,  so  that  the  creditors 
could  not  get  a  cent  out  of  them.  Some  of  those  present 
applauded  the  proposition,  and  said  that  would  be  only, 
jaii:  I  said  nothing.  Then  somebody  said  :  '  Brother 
Law  has  said  nothing.'  I  said  :  '  This  seems  to  me  not 


o!2  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

only  wrong  and  unjust,  but  at  the  same  time  very  ridic- 
ulous, because  it  is  not  practicable.  You  cannot  buy 
horses  and  cattle  on  credit  without  having  established  a 
credit  by  long  trading ;  and  as  to  St.  Louis,  I  was  al- 
ways of  the  opinion  that  the  people  there  had  been  very 
good  to  the  Mormons.  So  you  would  ruin  your  friends 
to  injure  your  enemies,  punish  the  innocent  to  hurt 
the  guilty.  The  St.  Louis  merchants  were  surely  not 
the  men  that  persecuted  you  in  Missouri.'  Hyrum  got 
up,  furious,  ready  to  attack  me.  But  Joseph  rose  and 
said  :  4 1  move  that  we  adjourn  this  meeting.  Brother 
Law  has  said  his  opinion,  and  that  is  all  you  wanted 
from  him.'  Joseph  went  home  with  me  and'on  the  way 
he  told  me  that  he  shared  my  views  fully,  and  that  I  had 
exactly  spoken  his  mind.  He  praised  me  very  much  for 
the  justice  and  honesty  of  my  views.  4 1  did  not  talk,' 
said  he,  'since  you  took  the  very  words  from  my  lips.' 
I  need  not  tell  you  that  this  was  diplomacy  on  Joseph's 
part,  but  Hyrum  hated  me  from  that  moment,  and  never 
forgave  me  for  what  I  had  said  at  that  little  council.  But 
Hyrum  hated  me  for  another  reason." 

"  Was  that  in  the  robbery  line,  too?" 

"  No.  That  was  from  a  political  reason.  It  was  be- 
cause I  opposed  him  in  the  dirty  political  trade  he  made 
with  Hoge  against  Walker.  Walker  had  bought  Joseph's 
influence  by  declaring  that  the  city  charter  of  Nauvoo  se- 
cured the  habeas  corpus.  I  stood  by  them  when  Joseph 
promised  Walker  that  he  should  have  nine  out  of  every 
ten  Mormon  votes.  But  Hyrum  went  to  Galena  to  meet 
the  Democratic  convention  there,  and  promised  the  sup- 
port of  the  church  to  Mr.  Hoge  for  a  seat  in  Congress. 
Yes,  General  Hyrum  Smith  was  to  sit  in  Congress  next 
year.  Saturday  came  and  I  went  to  Hyrum  and  had  a 
talk  with  him.  He  said  he  would  tell  the  people  to  vote 
for  Hoge,  and  I  said  I  would  oppose  him  on  the  stand. 
He  made  objections,  but  finally  had  to  consent  to  my 
speaking  on  the  stand  in  this  matter.  When  it  came  to 
the  speaking  in  public  Hyrum  did  all  he  could  to  obstruct 
me  by  putting  long-winded  speakers  on  the  stand,  one 
after  the  other,  so  that  it  was  nearly  dark  when  I  got  on 
the  stand.  Now,  I  showed  the  people  how  shamefully 
they  had  treated  Mr.  Walker,  and  I  made  such  an 
impression  that  they  began  to  shout  for  Mr.  Walker. 


APPENDIX.  513 

Then,  Hymm  jumped  on  the  stand  and  declared  that  he 
had  a  revelation  from  the  Lord,  that  the  people  should 
vote  for  Mr.  Hoge.  This  was  Saturday.  Sunday  morn- 
ing I  went  to  Joseph  and  told  him  what  Hyrum  had 
done.  We  went  over  to  the  meeting  and  Joseph  told 
Hyrum  what  I  had  said.  Hyrum  insisted  that  he  had 
had  a  revelation.  'Oh,'  said  Joseph, '  if  this  is  a  revela- 
tion, then  it  is  all  right,'  and  he  went  on  the  stand  and 
said  to  the  people :  '  My  office  is  so  high,  that  I  could 
not  think  of  bothering  the  Lord  with  political  affairs. 
But  Brother  Hyrum  has  had  a  revelation — when  the  Lord 
speaks  let  the  people  obey.' " 

- ' '  Had  you  ever  some  dramatic  scene  with  Joseph  about 
the  difficulties  between  you  and  him  ?  " 

"He  avoided  me.  But  once  I  got  hold  of  him  in  the 
street  and  told  him  in  very  plain  terms  what  I  thought  of 
him.  I  said  :  '  You  are  a  hypocrite  and  a  vulgar  scoun- 
drel, you  want  to  destroy  me.'  Instead  of  knocking  me 
down,  which  he  could  have  done  very  easily,  being  so 
much  bigger  and  stronger  than  I,  he  went  away  hurriedly 
without  uttering  a  single  word." 

"  Were  you  in  Nauvoo  when  the  Expositor  press  was 
destroyed?" 

"No,  I  was  in  Carthage.  There  was  a  meeting  at  the 
court  house,  many  people  were  present  and  it  was  con- 
sidered what  should  ue  done  regarding  the  Mormons.  I 
think  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  present  at  the  meeting. 
My  friends  urged  me  to  come  to  Carthage  with  the  press 
immediately.  No  conclusion  was  arrived  at,  however. 
The  same  evening  we  went  home  and  when  we  came  to 
Nauvoo  we  rode  over  our  type,  that  was  scattered  in  the 
street,  and  over  our  broken  office  furniture.  The  work 
of  Joseph's  agents  had  been  very  complete  ;  it  had  been 
done  by  a  mob  of  about  200.  The  building,  a  new*  pretty 
brick  structure,  had  been  perfectly  gutted,  not  a  bit  had 
been  left  of  anything." 

4 '  Had  anything  been  prepared  for  a  second  number  ?  " 

"Yes,  the  inside  of  number  two  had  been  set  up. 
Seeing  what  had  been  done,  I  took  my  abode,  for  safety's 
sake,  at  my  brother's.  I  left  Nauvoo  on  a  large,  new 
steam  ferry-boat,  which  transported  me,  my  family  and 
my  brother  to  Burlington,  Iowa.  While  we  had  people 
packing  our  things  in  my  house,  we  rode,  my  brother  and 


514  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

I,  through  the  city  in  an  open  carriage,  to  show  that  we 
were  not  afraid." 

44  Did  you  ever  see  Joseph  again  after  you  left  Nau- 
voo?" 

44  Only  once.  I  saw  him  in  Carthage  at  the  trial.  We 
spoke  not  to  each  other,  and  he  seemed  greatly  preoccu- 
pied. We  left  Nauvoo  on  the  second  day  after  the  pass- 
ing of  the  ordinance  which  put  the  press  under  the  abso- 
lute will  of  Joseph  and  his  creatures.  This  ordinance 
gave  them  power  to  imprison  and  fine  us  at  liberty. " 

"  What  opinion  have  you  of  Governor  Ford?" 

"Ford  made  a  good  impression  upon  me;  he  was 
surely  a  good,  straight  man." 

11  What  kind  of  a  life  did  the  prophet  lead  in  Nauvoo?" 

44  Joseph  lived  in  great  plenty.  He  entertained  his 
friends  and  had  a  right  good  time.  He  was  a  jolly  fel- 
low. I  don't  think  that  in  his  family  tea  and  coffee  were 
used,  but  they  were  served  to  the  strangers  whom  he  en- 
tertained as  tavern-keeper.  At  least,  I  suppose  so.  The 
Smiths  had  plenty  of  money.  Why,  when  I  came  to 
Nauvoo  I  paid  Hyrum  $700  in  gold  for  a  barren  lot,  and 
at  that  rate  they  sold  any  amount  of  lots  after  having  got 
the  land  very  cheap,  to  be  sure.  Their  principle  was  to 
weaken  a  man  in  his  purse,  and  in  this  way  take  power 
and  influence  from  him.  Weaken  everybody,  that  was 
their  motto.  Joseph's  maxim  was,  when  you  have  taken 
all  the  money  a  fellow  has  got,  you  can  do  with  him 
whatever  you  please." 

"  What  became  of  Dr.  Bennett?" 

44  The  last  thing  I  heard  of  him  was  that  he  went  up 
the  river  with  a  large  lot  of  fancy  fowls,  a  speculation  of 
his. " 

u  What  do  you  know  about  the  revelation  on  polyg- 
amy?" 

4  4  The  way  I  heard  of  it  was  that  Hyrum  gave  it  to  me 
to  read.  I  was  never  in  a  High  Council  where  it  was 
read,  all  stories  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  Hy- 
rum gave  it  to  me  in  his  office,  told  me  to  take  it  home 
and  read  it,  and  then  be  careful  with  it,  and  bring  it  back 
again.  I  took  it  home,  read  it  and  showed  it  to  my  wife. 
She  and  I  were  just  turned  upside  down  by  it ;  we  did 
not  know  what  to  do.  I  said  to  my  wife,  that  I  would 
take  it  over  to  Joseph  and  ask  him  about  it.  I  did  not 


APPENDIX.  515 

believe  that  he  would  acknowledge  it,  and  I  said  so  to 
my  wife.  But  she  was  not  of  my  opinion.  She  felt 
perfectly  sure  that  he  would  father  it.  When  I  came 
to  Joseph  and  showed  him  the  paper,  he  said  :  ;  Yes,  that 
is  a  genuine  revelation.'  I  said  to  the  prophet :  c  But 
in  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  there  is  a  revela- 
tion just  the  contrary  of  this.  *  Oh,'  said  Joseph,  '  that 
icas  given  when  the  church  was  in  Us  infancy,  then  it  icas 
all  right  to  feed  the  people  on  milk,  but  now  it  is  necessary 
to  give  them  strong  meat?  We  talked  a  long  time  about 
it ;  finally  our  discussion  became  very  hot,  and  we  gave 
it  up.  From  that  time  on  the  breach  between  us  became 
more  open  and  more  decided  every  day,  after  having 
been  prepared  for  a  long  time.  But  the  revelation  gave 
the  finishing  touch  to  my  doubts,  and  showed  me  clearly 
that  he  was  a  rascal.  I  took  the  revelation  back  to  my 
wife  and  told  her  that  Joseph  had  acknowledged  it. 
4  That  is  what  I  fully  expected,'  said  she.  '  What  shall 
we  do?'  said  I.  She  advised  me  to  keep  still,  try  to  sell 
my  property  quietly  for  what  I  could  get.  But  I  did  not 
follow  her  advice.  My  heart  was  burning,  I  wanted  to 
tread  upon  the  viper." 

"  You  returned  the  revelation  to  Hyrum?" 

"Yes,  I  did.  I  was  astonished  to  see  in  your  book 
that  the  revelation  was  such  a  long  document.  I  re- 
member DISTINCTLY  that  the  original  given  me  by  Hyrum 
was  MUCH  SHORTER.  It  covered  not  more  than  tico  or  three 
pages  of  foolscap.  The  contents  are  substantially  the 
same,  but  there  was  not  that  theological  introduction. 
The  thing  consisted  simply  in  the  command  of  doing  it, 
and  that  command  was  restricted  to  the  High  Priesthood 
and  to  virgins  and  widows.  But  as  to  Joseph,  himself, 
the  Lord's  chosen  servant,  it  was  restricted  to  virgins 
only,  to  clean  vessels,  from  which  to  procure  a  pure  seed 
to  the  Lord." 

' '  In  what  manner  would  Joseph  succeed  to  keep  you 
and  others  from  knowing  what  was  going  on  behind  the 
curtain  ?  " 

"Marks,  Yves,  I,  and  some  others  had,  for  a  long 
time,  no  idea  of  the  depravity  that  was  going  on.  This 
Was  simply  the  result  of  a  very  smart  system  adopted  by 
the  prophet  and  his  intimate  friends  like  Brigham  Young, 
Kimball,  and  others.  They  first  tried  a  man  to  see 


516  THE    PROPHET    OF  PALMYRA. 

whether  they  could  make  a  criminal  tool  out  of  him. 
When  they  felt  that  he  would  not  be  the  stuff  to  make  a 
criminal  of,  they  kept  him  outside  the  inner  circle  and 
used  him  to  show  him  up  as  an  example  of  their  religion, 
as  a  good,  virtuous,  universally  respected  brother." 

44  Was  Joseph  a  coward  ?  " 

44  Yes,  he  was  a  coward  and  so  was  Hyrum.  You  see 
it  already  in  the  fact  that  when  I  attacked  him  on  the 
street  with  most  violent  words,  he  did  not  dare  to  answer 
a  word." 

44  How  did  the  prophets  dress  ?  " 

44  Joe  and  Hyrum  were  always  dressed  well,  generally  in 
blue,  sometimes  in  black.  Joseph  was  a  fine  man,  no 
doubt  of  it." 

44  How  was  it  with  Joseph's  wrestling?" 

44The  forces  of  the  prophet  in  this  line  have  been  ex- 
aggerated. My  brother  Wilson  wrestled  once  with  him, 
and  he  laid  him  down  on  the  floor  like  a  baby.  Wilson 
could  throw  a  lead  bar  much  farther  than  Joe  could. 
But  Wilson  was  an  uncommonly  fine  and  strong  man, 
over  six  feet.  He  could  hold  a  weight  of  56  pounds  on 
his  little  finger  and  write  his  name  on  the  wall  in  big 
letters.  Joseph  was  flabby ;  he  never  worked  at  any- 
thing and  that  probably  made  him  so.  Rockwell  did 
everything  about  the  house." 

u  Had  you  any  idea  that  there  was  a  sort  of  conspir- 
acy to  kill  Joseph  in  jail  ?  " 

44No,  I  had  no  idea,  no  idea.  I  had  been  ruined  by 
that  man  ;  all  my  property  was  gone  ;  all  my  dearest  il- 
lusions destroyed,  and  through  my  connection  with  him 
I  got  a  black  spot  on  my  life,  which  will  pain  me  to  the 
very  last  minute  of  my  existence.  But  I  tell  you  [the 
old  gentleman  buried  his  head  in  his  hands,  and  when  he 
removed  them  his  eyes  were  wet],  1  tell  you,  no,  if  I  had 
had  any  idea  of  any  such  scheme,  /  would  have  taken  steps 
to  stop  it.  I  have  always  considered  the  killing  of  Joseph 
Smith  a  wrong  action.  It  is  my  opinion  that  he  deserved 
his  fate  fully,  much  more  than  thousands  of  men  who 
paid  the  penalty  of  their  crimes  to  Judge  Lynch — but  I 
would  have  preferred  that  he  should  have  been  tried  by 

and  sent  to  the  Penitentiary." 
4  Did  you  practice  medicine  in  Nauvoo,  Doctor?" 
4  Only  occasionally.     I  came  to  Nauvoo  with  money. 


APPENDIX.  517 

I  had  had  a  mill  in  Canada,  already.  Joseph  said  to  me  : 
4  You  must  not  be  a  doctor  here.  Buy  lands,  build  mills, 
and  keep  a  store  to  keep  you  running.  As  to  practicing 
and  not  making  anything,  let  some  Gentiles  come  and  do 
that.  You  look  out  for  business  and  profit.  I  practiced, 
however,  occasionally.  Once  John  Taylor  was  taken 
with  a  very  malignant  fever.  He  was  treated  by  his  reg- 
ular physician,  I  think  Dr.  Wells  was  his  name.  He  grew 
worse  and  worse.  At  last  I  was  called  in,  saw  him,  and 
prescribed  for  him.  They  followed  my  prescriptions  and 
he  got  better.  This  is,  I  believe,  the  worst  thing  I  did 
in  Nauvoo  or  anywhere  else  !  " — Dr.  Law  followed  this 
joke  with  a  chuckle,  so  as  to  give  me  to  understand  that 
it  was  a  sin  to  cure  so  great  a  rascal. 

4 '  What  kind  of  men  were  the  other  editors  of  the  Ex- 
positor?" 

"  Dr.  Foster  was  a  fine  physician  and  surgeon  and  a 
very  agreeable,  lively,  interesting  man.  The  Higbees 
had  been  very  good  friends  of  Joseph  in  Missouri,  and 
had  served  his  cause  there  with  a  kind  of  boyish  en- 
thusiasm. Frank  died  long  ago  and  Chauncey  only  lately. 
He  had  studied  law,  was  an  attorney,  and  sat  on  the 
bench  for  awhile.  He  was  quite  intelligent.  The  father 
of  the  Higbees  had  been  an  excellent  man.  He  died 
rather  suddenly,  and  from  that  time  there  was  something 
between  his  boys  and  Joseph." 

44  What  kind  of  a  physician  was  Dr.  Bennett?" 
44  He  was  a  physician  of  the  old  school.     I  could  not 
say  whether  he  was  very  successful  as  a  doctor  or  not. 
He  was  so  much  occupied  for  Joseph,  that  he  had  no 
time  to  attend  the  sick." 

44  Did  Joseph  pay  any  salary  to  this  Bismarck  of  his  ?  " 
44 1  don't  know,  but  in  that  honeymoon  of  favor,  which 
he  enjoyed  in  his  first  Nauvoo  time,  Joseph  gave  him 
surely  all  he  wanted." 

44  Did  you  ever  hear  Joseph  speak  of  his  money?" 
44  Oh,  yes,  he  used  to  boast  of  his  riches.  He  ex- 
pressed the  opinion,  that  it  was  all-important  that  he 
should  be  rich.  I  heard  him  say  myself,  '  It  would  be 
better  that  every  man  in  the  church  should  lose  his  last 
cent,  than  that  I  should  fail  and  go  down,' " 


518  THE    PliOPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

GOVERNOR  WEST  AND  THE  POLYGAMISTS. 
FOLLOWING  is  a  verified  report  of  the  visit  of  Governor 
Caleb  W.  West,  of  Utah,  to  the  Utah  penitentiary, 
May  13,  1886,  wherein  he  states  the  purpose  of  his  visit, 
and  of  the  conversation  which  ensued  between  him  and 
Apostle  Lorenzo  Snow : 

[From  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  May  14.] 

Yesterday  Governor  West,  accompanied  by  Secretary 
Thomas,  Register  Webb,  Marshal  Ireland,  W.  C.  Hall, 
Esq.,  and  Adam  Patterson,  the  official  reporter  of  the 
Third  District  Court,  made  a  visit  to  the  Utah  Peniten- 
tiary. The  object  of  the  visit  of  the  Governor  was  for 
the  purpose  of  presenting  to  Lorenzo  Snow  and  the  other 
polygamists  now  in  the  Penitentiary  the  condition  of  af- 
fairs resulting  from  the  late  decision  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  in  the  Snow  case,  and  to  say 
on  behalf  of  Judge  Zaue  and  Prosecuting  Attorney  Dick- 
son  and  himself,  that  if  they  would  agree  in  good  faith  to 
obey  the  laws  hereafter,  they  would  recommend  them  to 
the  .clemency  of  President  Cleveland. 

The  party  left  the  Walker  House  at  1 :30  p.  M.,  and 
arrived  at  the  Penitentiary  at  2  :30  p.  M.  Upon  arriving 
there  they  were  received  by  Warden  Dow  and  conducted 
into  one  of  the  apartments  of  the  building  outside  the 
wall.  Apostle  Lorenzo  Snow,  at  the  request  of  Governor 
West,  was  brought  into  the  room,  when  the  following 
conversation  occurred  between  the  Governor  and  Apostle 
Snow : 

Governor  West — Mr.  Snow,  I  suppose  you  are  advised 
of  the  action  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  your  case  ? 

Snow — Yes,  sir ;  I  have  heard  they  have  concluded 
they  had  no  jurisdiction  in  my  case. 

Governor — Of  course  you  are  aware  that  that  determi- 
nation by  that  court  makes  final  the  decision  of  that  case 
by  the  Supreme  Court  here. 

Snow — I  suppose  so. 

Governor — Under  those  circumstances,  of  course,  that 
is  now  the  law  because  it  is  the  decision  of  the  highest 
judicial  tribunal  to  which  it  could  be  submitted,  and  I 
conceive  that  it  would  be  a  very  opportune  time  to  call 
and  submit  to  you  a  proposition,  which,  in  conjunction 
with  Judge  Zane  and  Mr.  Dickson,  we  have  thought  ad- 


APPENDIX.  519 

•r 

visable  to  make,  in  order  to  show  you  and  the  people  of 
the  Territory  that  they  are  mistaken  in  believing  that 
those  charged  with  the  execution  of  the  laws  in  the  Ter- 
ritory are  animated  by  any  spirit  of  malice  or  vindictive- 
ness  toward  the'people  who  are  in  the  majority  in  the  Terri- 
tory ;  that  on  the  contrary  their  only  wish  and  only  desire  ; 
one  which  is  nearest  to  their  hearts,  is  to  have  the  people 
of  the  Territory  obey  and  respect  the  law.  Upon  consul- 
tation with  Judge  Zane  and  Mr.  Dickson,  and  they  sup- 
porting the  view  that  I  have  suggested,  I  have  come  to 
say  to  you  and  your  people  here  that  we  would  unite  in  a 
petition  to  the  executive  to  issue  his  pardon  in  these 
cases  upon  a  promise,  in  good  faith,  that  you  will  obey 
and  respect  the  laws,  and  that  you  will  continue  no  longer 
to  live  in  violation  of  them. 

Snow — Well,  Governor,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  per- 
sonally, I  am  not  in  conflict  with  any  of  the  laws  of  the 
country.  I  have  obeyed  the  laws  as  faithfully  and  con- 
scientiously as  I  can  thus  far,  and  I  am  not  here  because  of 
disobedience  of  any  law.  I  am  here  wrongfully  con- 
victed and  wrongfully  sentenced. 

Governor — Yes, 'but  that  is  from  your  standpoint.  Of 
course,  that  is  a  question 

Snow — No,  no ;  perhaps  you  misunderstand  me.  I 
don't  mean  particularly  and  exclusively  the  Edmunds 
law ;  I  mean  the  laws  of  the  land  that  I  consider  su- 
preme— 

Governor — The  law  is  exactly  what  the  court  says  it 
is.  If  you  are  here  under  a  conviction  of  that  kind  and 
your  intention  was  to  obey  the  law,  as  you  say  you  have 
done,  then  you  can  sacrifice  nothing  if  you  promise  to 
obey  the  law  in  the  future.  You  then  rid  yourself  of  a 
conviction  which  you  say  is  wrongful,  and  you  protect 
yourself  from  a  future  prosecution  if  you  obey  the  laws. 

Snow — Well,  but  Governor,  why  should  this  be  re- 
quired of  me,  inasmuch  as  I  certainly  have  not  as  yet 
disobeyed  the  laws?  The  law  has  been  wrongfully  and 
illegally  administered  in  the  case  of  many  of  us  here  in 
the  Pen — 

Governor — But  we  have  to  submit  to  the  law  as  admin- 
istered by  its  agents  and  properly  constituted  authorities. 
Not  one  of  us,  as  a  citizen,  has  a  right  to  put  his  opinion 
against  that  determination.  We  are  bound  to  submit  to 


S20  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYEA. 

the  construction  of  the  laws  which  the  court  gives.  We 
cannot  adopt  our  own  construction  and  follow  that,  be- 
cause the  decisions  of  the  courts  constitute  what  the  law 
is.  You  are  too  intelligent  a  man  to  have  asked  me  the 
question  why  you  should  be  required  to  make  such  a 
promise  as  that,  because  you  know  very  well  you  have 
taught  and  believed  that  certain  practices  are  right  which 
the  law  has  put  its  ban  upon.  It  has  been  said  by  our 
law-making  power  that  it  is  not  right,  and  not  only  that, 
bat  such  practices  cannot  be  tolerated  in  this  land,  and 
that  punishment  will  follow  a  violation  of  it. 

Snow — I  defy  any  man  to  come  forward  and  testify 
that  I  have  taught  any  person  to  disobey  the  laws. 
There  is  no  person  that  can  come  forward  and  testify  to 
that. 

Governor — That  has  been  the  teaching  of  the  body  that 
you  belong  to. 

Snow — -It  has  been  in  the  past,  but  it  has  not  been  with 
me  in  the  present. 

Governor — I  am  not  talking  about  the  past.  Of  course, 
I  don't  care  to  discuss  that.  I  say  you  are  here  under  a 
conviction  in  a  court  for  a  past  offense,  and  I  come  to 
propose  that*  the  Federal  officials  unite  in  asking  the 
President  for  pardon  for  you  and  others  to  relieve  you 
from  any  punishment  you  may  have  incurred,  if  you,  in 
good  faith,  for  the  future  submit  yourselves  to  the  laws 
as  interpreted  and  construed  by  the  courts. 

Snow — Well,  now,  Governor,  of  course  there  is  no  use 
wasting  time  on  this.  If  you  ask  me  if  I  renounce  the 
principles  of  plural  marriage,  I  will  answer  you  at  once. 

Governor — No  ;  that  is  not  the  question.  The  question 
I  ask  you  is,  will  you  agree,  in  good  faith,  sincerely,  in 
the  future  to  respect  and  obey  the  laws  as  interpreted  by 
the  courts,  which  I  and  every  other  good  citizen  ought  to 
do  and  must  do,  and  failing  to  do,  incur  punishment? 

Snow — I  was  once  asked  that  same  question  in  the  First 
District  Court  at  Ogden,  and  I  expressed  to  the  Court 
my  wishes  that  I  should  not  be  required  to  answer  that 
question.  I  considered  it  a  question  that  they  had  no 
business  to  ask.  I  had  obeyed  the  laws  and  had  been 
convicted  illegally  and  wrongfully,  and  I  did  not  consider 
it  was  a  personal  question  as  to  the  future. 

Governor — I  understand  that.     That  was  a  question 


APPENDIX.  521 

that  was  asked  you  in  court,  and  you  had  a  right  to  de- 
clined answer.  Now,  I  come  with  the  earnest  desire  to 
save  misery  and  trouble  to  the  people  with  wrhom  I  am  to 
be  associated  officially,  and  I  have  it  very  near  to  my 
heart,  if  possible,  to  relieve  the  people  here  of  a  great 
deal  of  unnecessary  suffering,  because  1  am  satisfied  that  all 
this  suffering,  so  far  as  the  protection  of  the  peculiar  insti- 
tution which  you  have  established  is  concerned,  is  uesless  ; 
that  it  will  do  no  good  whatever — not  one  particle— and  that 
all  the  sacrifices  which  you  make,  and  all  the  sufferings 
which  you  endure,  will  go  for  naught.  I  come  with  that 
spirit  and  with  those  motives. 

Snow — Yes,  I  presume  so  ;  but  my  views  are  entirely 
different  from  that — directly  opposite.  The  result  will 
not  be  the  one  that  you  anticipate.  I  speak  writh  knowl- 
edge and  you  speak  with  your  opinion.  I  speak  in  refer- 
ence to  knowledge,  and  am  perfectly  convinced  that  the 
result  will  be  widely  different  from  that  which  you  state. 
No  doubt  there  will  be  a  great  deal  of  suffering,  but  I, 
as  one — and  I  presume  it  is  so  with  a  great  majority  of 
this  people — am  ready  to  take  the  consequences.  We 
believe  in  a  certain  principle,  and  that  principle  is  dear 
to  our  hearts,  and  we  are  willing  to  suffer  as  the  ancients 
did.  We  honor  the  law  administered  rightfully. 

Governor — You  have  come  to  the  question  exactly 
which  I  was  just  going  to  suggest  to  you.  That  being, 
your  state  of  feeling,  that  being  your  avowed  course  of 
action,  you  ought,  then,  to  do  the  officials  in  this  Territory 
the  justice  to  say  that  they  are  not  to  blame  for  this  state 
of  affairs  ;  that  your  own  conduct  and  your  own  position 
puts  you  in  disobedience  to  the  laws  ;  that  while  you  suf- 
fer the  suffering  is  incurred  by  your  action  and  not  by 
any  spirit  of  malice  or  any  desire  upon  the  part  of  the 
Government  or  those  who  represent  it  to  do  you  an  in- 
jury or  to  cause  this  suffering  ;  because,  you  see,  my  ob- 
ject and  purpose  here  now  is  to  unite  in  an  effort  to  re- 
lieve you,  but  you,  by  the  position  you  take,  preclude  any 
such  position  being  taken  ;  you  voluntarily  and  obdu- 
rately place  yourselves  in  this  position.  Therefore,  com- 
mon fairness  should  require  you  not  to  say  and  not  to 
publish  to  the  world  that  you  are  being  persecuted, 
hounded,  maliciously  and  vindictively  pursued  by  tke 
Federal  officials  who  are  intrusted  with  the  administration 
of  the  laws. 


622  THE    PEOPHET    OF 

Snow — Oh,  no  more  so  than  Jesus  Christ  nnd  the 
Apostles.  They  had  these  same  things  to  suffer  and 
practiced  the  same  gospel ;  and  we  expect  that  inasmuch 
as  we  have  espoused  the  same  religion  and  the  same  prin- 
ciples that  they  proclaimed,  and  for  which  they  lost  their 
lives,  that  we  will  have  to  suffer,  and  we  are  willing  to  do 
it. 

Governor — You  are  not  being  persecuted  for  opinion's 
sake. 

Snow — Oh,  no  more  than  the  Roman  Empire  perse- 
cuted the  Apostles  for  opinion's  sake.  They  arrayed 
themselves  in  disobedience  to  the  laws  of  the  country 
they  were  in.  It  was  the  laws  that  condemned  them  to 
death,  and  it  was  the  Jewish  law  that  condemned  Jesus. 

Governor — You  are  getting  off  the  question  and  getting 
upon  a  question  that  is  so  wide  that  we  would  have  to 
lengthen  our  lives  to  discuss  it.  I  came  here  with  sim- 
ply one  purpose  and  desire,  which  was  if  I  could  possibly, 
by  any  effort  on  my  part  with  the  concurrence  on  your 
part  of  obedience  to  the  laws,  to  relieve  you  from  any 
suffering.  You  must  look  at  this  matter  just  as  it  stands. 
The  courts  have  construed  this  law,  and  their  construc- 
tion of  it  is  the  law,  and  we  have  no  right  to  say  anything 
else.  And  when  you  get  out  if  you  continue  the  course 
which  you  have  pursued,  do  the  same  acts  again,  it  will 
simply  be  a  temporary  relief  from  here — back  you  have 
to  come. 

Snow — I  expect  so.  I  presume  that  would  be  the 
case. 

Governor — Well,  now  you  are  suffering  and  you  are 
causing  others  to  suffer,  and  you  are  injuring  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Territory,  and  all  for  no  good  purpose. 
You  cannot  accomplish  anything  by  it.  That  will  not  re- 
peal the  laws,  nor  will  it  benefit  you  in  anyway ;  because 
in  prison  here,  you  don't  enjoy  the  liberty  that  is  guaran- 
teed by  the  laws  to  every  law-abiding  man  ;  you  cannot  have 
the  pleasures  of  home  which  are  protected  by  the  law,  and 
you  are  suffering  here  without  benefit. 

Snow — Exactly,  but»I  have  no  confidence  in  the  courts. 
Even  if  I  was  to  make  a  promise,  I  have  no  idea  in  the 
world  that  the  courts  would  administer  us  justice.  Let 
them  first  administer  us  justice  and  administer  the  laws 
correctly  and  then  we  will  see. 


APPENDIX.  523 

Governor — Yes,  but  that  is  your  own  individual  opin- 
ion, that  the  laws  are  not  administered  correctly. 

Snow — It  is  your  individual  opinion  that  they  are. 

G-overnor — I  beg  your  pardon.  We  must  not  be  too 
egotistical.  I  did  not  make  the  laws,  and  I  do  not  say 
what  the  laws  are  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  am  taking  the  de- 
cisions of  the  courts.  I  can  take  the  legislative  acts  and 
read  them  and  I  may  think  I  know  what  the  law  is  and 
go  into  court,  and  the  court  says  that  is  not  the  law. 
Therefore,  I  must  take  the  law  as  decided  by  the  courts, 
and  so  must  every  law-abiding  man.  It  seems  to  me  you 
cannot  say  that  you  have  no  confidence  in  the  protection 
of  the  courts  and  the  officials  here 

Snow — I  have  no  confidence  whatever. 

Governor — You  ought  not  to  say  that  you  have  no  con- 
fidence in  the  protection  of  the  courts  and  officials  unless 
you  believe  that  I  have  come  here  under  false  pretences 
and  that  Judge  Zane 

Snow — Oh,  no. 

Governor — That  Judge  Zane  and  Mr.  Dickson,  who 
have  concurred  with  me,  are  not  doing  it  in  good  faith. 
That  is  the  only  way  you  can  say  that,  because  you 
must  have  confidence  in  us  or  you  must  believe  we 
are  not  acting  in  good  faith.  You  know  it  is  a  very 
unusual  thing  to  see  officials  who  are  charged  with 
the  execution  of  the  laws,  coming  as  I  have  done,  and 
with  the  concurrence  of  those  men,  to  say  that  if  you  will 
give  your  promise,  in  good  faith,  that  you  will  observe 
this  law  that  we  will  unite  to  have  you  relieved  from  the 
convictions  against  you.  Ordinarily  offenders  have  suf- 
fered for  the  offenses  they  have  committed,  and  have  no 
chance  to  promise  reformation  with  the  chance  of  being 
relieved  from  puishment.  So  you  must  have  confidence 
if  you  believe  in  our  sincerity. 

Snow — I  certainly  believe  in  your  sincerity,  but  you 
are  not  the  court.  As  to  Dickson  and  as  to  Zane  I  have 
no  confidence  in  them  at  all. 

Governor — Mr.  Snow,  I  think  you  are  very  unjust  in 
that  opinion,  because  I  know  that  tjiis  suggestion  that  I 
make 

Snow — If  you  had  suffered  you  would  think  differ- 
ently. 

Governor — But  you  are  charging  the  suffering  to  them 


524  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA 

wrongfully,  I  think.  They  do  not  make  the  laws,  they 
execute  them,  and  the  suffering  occurs  from  your  disobe- 
dience of  the  laws.  You  are  responsible  for  the  suffer- 
ing, not  Judge  Zane  nor  Mr.  Dickson,  and  I  tell  you, 
you  do  them  great  injustice  ;  because  from  all  the  conver- 
sations I  have  had  with  them,  and  all  their  conduct  dur- 
ing the  short  time  I  have  been  here,  I  am  sure  those 
men  are  animated  by  a  good  purpose  ;  an  earnest  desire 
that  the  people  of  this  Territory  obey  the  law,  and  they 
take  no  pleasure  in  the  suffering  which  is  caused  by  diso- 
bedience of  the  laws. 

Snowr — They  send  us  here  without  a  particle  of  evi- 
dence. It  is  through  the  counsel  given  to  the  jury  by 
the  Judge — by  Judge  Zane,  who  is  influenced  by  Dick- 
son.  I  have  not  a  particle  of  confidence  in  those  men. 
If  you  had  come  entirely  alone  without  the  names  of 
those  men,  we  would  have  more  confidence  in  the  propo- 
sitions. 

Governor — You  can  have  confidence  in  the  propositions 
whether  I  tell  you  or  they,  because  they  are  made  in  en- 
tire good  faith. 

Snow — What  did  I  tell  you  in  the  talk  we  had  the 
other  day  in  reference  to  the  Supreme  Court  ? 

Governor — That  Supreme  Court  has  a  duty  to  perf orm . 
Of  course  it  could  not  take  jurisdiction  of  the  case  which 
was  not  within  its  jurisdiction. 

Snow — They  took  jurisdiction  in  the  first  case  that  went 
up  there. 

Governor — Of  course  ;  then,  if  they  were  wrong  in  the 
first  place,  I  would  not  have  so  great  a  respect  for  them 
if  they  did  not  turn  around  and  rectify  it  in  the  other 
case.  Of  course  you  can  have  what  opinions  you  please- 
about  the  courts  or  the  officials  ;  but,  as  I  say,  no  good 
citizen  can  have  an  opinion  which  will  justify  him  in  vio- 
lating the  law — none.  There  is  no  excuse  for  that. 

Snow — All  right. 

Governor— Of  course  I  did  not  know  what  the  result 
of  this  would  be,  but  I  came  with  the  disposition  to  show 
you  and  the  people  here  that  there  is  an  opportunity  for 
them  to  escape  the  punishment  they  have  incurred  if  they 
should  conform  to  the  law,  and  escape  the  misery  and 
trouble  they  are  enduring  now  in  consequence  of  their 
violation  of  the  law. 


APPENDIX.  525 

Snow — If  Judge  Zane  and  Dickson  wish  to  take  the 
course  to  obtain  any  proposition  from  me  in  this  matter, 
let  them  first  release  me  and  my  friends  from  the  peni- 
tentiary. 

Governor — They  could  not  do  it ;  nobody  but  the  Pres- 
ident could. 

Snow — Well,  we  do  not  ask  it. 

[Heretofore  literal — hereafter  condensed.] 

Apostle  Snow  then  went  on  at  some  length  to  recite  the 
story  of  their  experience  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  claiming 
that  similar  persecutions  to  what  they  endured  there, 
were  being  inflicted  here  and  with  the  same  spirit. 

The  Governor  replied  that  the  refutation  of  the  posi- 
tion that  it  was  a  persecution  for  religion's  sake  lay  in 
the  fact  that  we  had  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  different 
denominations  in  the  United  States,  and  none  but  the 
people  here  had  ever  any  such  complaint  to  make. 

To  this  Snow  replied  that  was  because  they  were  man- 
made  Christians,  while  the  Mormons  were  God's  people, 
and  that  made  all  the  difference,  and  started  on  the  sub- 
ject of  modern  revelation,  a  subject  which  the  Governor 
was  not  disposed  to  discuss. 

Snow  also  claimed  again  that  he  had  conformed  to  the 
laws. 

The  Governor  said  he  thought  that  was  a  mistake  ; 
that  the  court  and  jury  had  found  otherwise,  and  that 
our  conduct  must  be  regulated  not  by  the  individual's 
own  construction  of  the  law  but  by  the  decisions  of  the 
courts. 

Snow  then  repeated  what  he  had  formerly  said  in  court 
at  Ogden  in  regard  to  his  intention  to  obey  the  law  in  the 
future — that  he  thought  it  was  an  improper  question  and 
that  he  told  the  Judge  so. 

Governor  West  then  said  that  Mr.  Snow's  responsibil- 
ity, on  account  of  the  position  he  held,  was  much  greater 
than  that  of  many  others  convicted  of  the  same  offense  ; 
that  by  his  conduct  many  a  heart  would  ache  and  many 
a  tear  would  flow  that  he  would  be  responsible  for,  which 
might  be  saved  if  he  would  obey  the  law  and  use  his  influ- 
ence and  control  among  the  people  to  have  them  do  like- 
wise. 

Mr.  Snow  said  they  had  an  object  in  view  ;  that  there 
would  be  a  change  eventually,  but  how  much  suffering 


526  THE    PROPHET    OP    PALMYRA. 

there  would  be  between  this  time  and  that  period  he  could 
not  say,  but  they  were  prepared  to  go  through  it.  He 
would  not  promise  to  obey  the  law,  "even  if  you  were 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  although  you  said  the 
other  day  he  is  a  better  man  than  you  are."  He  had 
about  the  same  regard  for  Dickson's  official  career  that 
he  had  for  the  Jews  for  killing  our  Saviour. 

The  Governor  then  explained  to  Snow  that  he  had  had 
him  called  out  in  order  that  he  might  first  have  a  talk  with 
him  in  detail  on  the  matter,  but  that  he  was  going  inside 
to  make  the  same  offer  to  the  other  prisoners  confined  on 
similar  sentences.  Snow  said  he  would  not  speak  a  word 
to  them  in  relation  to  it,  but  should  leave  it  to  the  indi- 
vidual judgment  of  each  person. 

Snow  received  the  kindly  propositions  of  the  Governor 
coolly,  and  by  an  occasional  sneer  upon  his  countenance 
manifested  in  a  careless  way  his  utter  indifference  to  the 
great  opportunity  presented  to  him.  He  several  times 
tried  to  draw  the  Governor  into  a  religious  discussion, 
but  was  unsuccessful. 

The  party  then  entered  the  enclosure  and  found  that 
all  the  prisoners  confined  who  were  not  charged  with  un- 
lawful cohabitation  had  been  caused  to  retire  to  the  east 
side  and  those  convicted  of  the  latter  offense  were  assem- 
bled in  the  large  room  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
enclosure.  The  Governor  then  spoke  to  them  as  follows  : 

"  I  have  simply  come  to  announce  to  you  something 
which  you  probably  know.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  has  rendered  a  decision  dismissing  the  ap- 
peal in  certain  cases  in  which  a  construction  of  the  law 
under  which  you  are  sentenced  is  involved,  and  the  tri- 
bunal which  has  the  construction  and  settlement  of  what 
the  law  is,  having  decided  it,  and  you  all  being  aware 
now  of  your  duty  under  the  law,  it  occurred  to  me  as  a 
very  opportune  time  to  come  here  and  make  a  proposi- 
tion to  you  which  had  suggested  itself  to  my  mind  for 
your  relief.  That  proposition  is  made  after  a  consulta- 
tion with  Judge  Zane  and  with  Mr.  Dickson,  and  it  is,  that 
we  would  all  concur  in  a  petition  of  the  President  to  re- 
lieve you  from  the  effect  of  the  sentences  which  you  are 
now  suffering,  for  disobedience  of  the  law,  if  you  would 
in  good  faith  and  sincerity,  agree  to  respect  and  obey 
the  laws  as  interpreted  by  the  courts. 


APPENDIX.  527 

"  You  know  that  the  effect  of  the  decision  which  has 
been  rendered,  and  which  is  the  law  of  the  land  beyond 
question  and  beyond  controversy,  is  that  if  you  get  free 
here  and  continue  in  the  same  course  of  life  that  brought 
you  here,  that  it  is  only  a  question  of  how  long  you  live 
as  to  how  long  you  will  be  kept  in  a  place  like  this. 
Now,  it  is  the  desire  of  the  Federal  officials  here,  if  pos- 
sible, to  relieve  you  from  past  punishment  if  in  the  fu- 
ture you  will  be  subserviemt  and  obedient  to  the  laws. 

"That  is  all  I  came  for,  and  I  came  with  the  honest, 
earnest,  and  sincere  desire  that  as  many  of  you  as  will 
accept  of  this  proposition  will  relieve  yourselves  from  this 
punishment  and  not  incur  it  in  the  future.  This  is  all  I 
have  to  say,  except  that  the  proposition  is  made  with  all 
earnestness  and  sincerity,  and  with  a  great  desire  that 
some,  if  not  all,  will  avail  themselves  of  it.  It  is  a  mat- 
ter for  you  to  determine,  however,  and  it  is  submitted  to 
you  in  that  way.  I  hope  you  will  take  it  under  consider- 
ation and  think  about  it.  I  hope  that,  in  good  faith  and 
sincerity,  you  will  try  to  avail  yourselves  of  our  efforts 
in  your  behalf.  If  any  of  you  are  disposed  to  make  this 
agreement  in  good  faith,  and  you  are  not  prepared  to  do  it 
now ;  if  you  are  prepared  at  any  future  time  you  can  let 
the  Marshal  know  it  and  he  will  convey  the  information 
to  me,  and  I  will  give  the  matter  such  attention  as  is 
proper  to  have  you  speedily  released." 

This  speech  was  received  in  silence,  with  a  cunning 
leer  on  many  faces.  Apostle  Snow  sneeringly  asked : 
"  Would  you  wish  to  take  a  vote  on  it? " 

Governor — No,  sir ;  I  don't  care  for  any  expression 
now,  except  that  if  any  parties  are  willing  they  can  say 
so  now,  and  if  not,  I  prefer  to  let  it  pass  until  they  are 
willing. 

Abraham  H.  Cannon  asked  the  question  what  they 
should  do  with  their  wives,  and  such  questioning  was 
continued  at  considerable  length  and  very  informally  af- 
ter they  were  all  outside  the  building.  The  Governor 
said  he  was  not  there  to  expound  the  law  ;  the  only  ad- 
vice he  could  give  them  was  to  obey  the  laws  as  interpreted 
by  the  courts.  Cannon  remarked  that  the  interpreta- 
tions of  the  courts  were  various  and  so  conflicting  that 
he  would  like  to  be  informed  how  they  were  to  know  what 
tho  law  was.  The  Governor  replied  that  he  thought  with 


528  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

Mr.  Cannon's  education  and  intelligence  if  he  went  about 
it  earnestly  he  would  have  very  little  difficulty  in  ascer- 
taining what  the  law  was. 

Then  followed  for  a  few  minutes  a  general  conversa- 
tion, several  of  the  prisoners  gathering  round  each  of  the 
visitors  and  plying  them  with  questions.  "What  must 
we  do  with  our  wives  and  children  ?  "  u  Who  can  tell  us 
what  the  courts  require?"  "  Judge  Zane  requires  one 
thing,  Judge  Powers  another;  whom  are  we  to  obey?" 
"  Am  I  expected  to  declare  my  children  illegitimate  ?" 
etc.,  to  all  of  which  there  was  but  one  answer.  As  one 
of  them  mournfully  remarked  :  "  We  have  got  to  give 
in  or  stay  here  for  the  balance  of  our  lives." 

The  Governor  and  party,  after  good-natured  adieus, 
left  the  penitentiary  at  3  :30  p.  m.,  arriving  at  the  Walker 
House  an  hour  later.  Thus  ended  a  kindly  meant  but 
fruitless  mission. 

I  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  is  a  correct  report  of 
the  interview  at  the  Utah  Penitentiary  between  Gov.  West, 
Lorenzo  Snow,  and  others.  It  is  literal  so  far  as  it  pur- 
ports to  be ;  and  the  balance  of  it  (that  which  is  put  in 
narrative  form)  is  a  fair  and  correct  condensation  of 
the  same.  I  am  stenographic  reporter  of  the  Third  Ju- 
dicial District  Court  of  Utah  Territory. 

A.  S.  PATTERSON. 

[Governor  West  also  affirmed  the  correctness  of  this 
interview  in  a  telegram  to  the  Hon.  R.  N.  Baskin. — ED. 
TRIBUNE.] 

A    CHARACTERISTIC     DOCUMENT. 

AN  apology  may  be  considered  due  for  the  introduc- 
tion into  these  pages  of  such  an  indecent  and  disgusting 
document  as  the  following.  Yet  the  public  have  a  right 
to  know  just  what  Mormonism  is  and  was  during  the  days 
of  its  founders.  To  supply  this  knowledge  truly  and 
faithfully  is  one  of  the  purposes  of  this  work ;  and  we 
therefore  feel  justified  in  adding  what  follows  to  the  al- 
ready vast  accumulation. 

Whilst  sojourning  in  Northwest  Missouri,  the  Prophet 
issued  at  the  Stake  of  Far  West,  a  paper  called  the  El- 


APPENDIX.  629 

ders'  Journal.  It  was  designed  to  be  and  was  accepted 
as  the  church  organ,  and  was  controlled  and  edited  by 
Joseph  Smith  himself,  though  it  is  understood  that  Sid- 
ney Rigdon  was  a  regular  writer  for  its  pages.  Which 
of  these  two  is  responsible  for  the  article  in  question,  we 
have  now  no  means  of  knowing  other  than  is  contained 
within  itself. 

During  that  period,  only  a  short  time  previous  to  the 
breaking  up  and  expulsion  from  that  State,  there  was 
much  dissension  and  insubordination  among  the  brethren, 
both  in  the  West  and  in  Ohio.  A  number  were  rebellious 
and  were  cut  off — turned  over  to  the  buffetings  of  Satan 
—to  use  a  familiar  expression  of  the  period.  Among 
those  rebellious  ones  were  the  individuals  named  below — 
two  of  whom  had  been  editors  of  the  church  organs,  two 
were  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  the  others  had  held 
high  positions. 

In  this  Elders'  Journal — date  not  now  at  hand — ap- 
peared the  following,  which  is  given  nearly  entire  ;  and 
because  of  its  disgusting  character,  we  hide  it  away  in 
this  Appendix.  Its  genuineness  is  not  to  be  disputed,  as 
reference  to  that  journal  will  show. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Smith  and  Rigdon  and  their 
followers  were  all  this  time  posing  as  Saints  of  the  Most 
High,  and  that  the  first  named  claimed  to  be  commis- 
sioned from  Heaven  to  do  a  great  work  for  the  Salvation 
of  the  world,  while  Sidney  was  to  aid  him.  This  is  one 
of  the  ways  they  adopted  for  doing  it. 


DISSENTERS  AND  PRIESTS. 

[From  the  Elders'  Journal.] 

...  If  we  did  not  know,  that  the  people  of  this  generation 
love  lies  more  than  the  truth,  or  at  least  a  great  many  of 
them,  it  would  be  a  matter  of  some  astonishment  to  us, 
to  see  with  what  eagerness  they  give  credence  to  every 
hypocrite,  and  iniquitous  wretch  we  detect  in  his  wicked- 
ness, and  bring  to  an  account.  It  matters  not  how  scan- 
dalous is  his  conduct,  the  priests  and  all  their  coadjutors 
rally  around  them  the  very  moment  they  are  excluded 
from  the  church,  and  listen  with  most  intense  interest  to 
their  lies  ;  and  soon  the  papers  are  filled  with  their  lies 
and  abominations.  But  such  is  the  piteous  situation  of 


530  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

the  priests  of  all  denominations,  for  there  are  no  excep- 
tions to  be  made  ;  for,  to  say  the  least  of   them,  they 
have  pleasure  in  lies ;    but  in  the  truth  they  have  no 
pleasure,  neither  have  they  any  part.     Within  the  last  six 
months  they  have  been  making  one  of  their  greatest  ef- 
forts.    The  church,  in  accordance  with  her  laws,  excluded 
from  her  fellowship   a  set  of  creatures,  whose  behav- 
ior would  have  disgraced  a  Heathen  Temple  ;  and  as 
might  have  been  expected,  they  had  recourse  to  the  foul- 
est lying  and   basest  slander,   in  order    to  hide    their 
iniquity.     This  seemed  as  a  favorable  opportunity,  to 
the  persecuting  priests  and  their  adherents.     They  gath- 
ered round  them  in  swarms,  like  the  flies  around  .ZEsop's 
foxes,  and  opened  both  their  eyes  and  ears,  to  enjoy  a 
good  feast  of  lies,  which  pleased  them  more  abundantly 
than  any  other  sound  could,  except  the  voice  of  Beelze- 
bub, the  Prince  of  the  whole  brood  ;  his  voice  would  doubt- 
less have  been  been  more  delightful  to  them  than  an  an- 
gel of  light  to  the  ear  of  a  Prophet  of  the  living  God. 
All  these  pious  soul's  papers  were  put  into  requisition ; 
and  this  gang  of  horse-thieves  and  drunkards  were  called 
upon  immediately,  to  write  their  lies  on  paper,  and  let 
them  print  them,  so  that  all  the  world  might  have  as 
great  a  feast  of  lies  as  they  had.     Accordingly,  to  work 
they  all  went,  with  one  accord ;  and  after  this  mighty 
mountain  of  bustle  and  human  folly,  had  filled  its  full 
time  of  gestation,  behold,  and  lo  !  it  brought  forth  a  mouse 
from  the  bowels  of  Mr.  Warren  Parrish,  and  the  priest's 
papers  have  flown  abroad  to  tell  the  world  of  it !     No  an- 
imal, we  presume,  has  been  produced  in  the  last  century, 
which  caused  more  agony,  pain  and  groaning,  than  this 
wonder  of  modern  times  ;  for  during  the  time  of  gestation, 
and  a  long  time  before  the  birth  thereof,  he  kept  up  such 
an  unusual  groaning  and  grunting,  that   all  the  devil's 
whelps  in  Geauga  and  Cuyahoga  counties,  of  Ohio,  were 
running  together,  to  see  what  was  about  to  come  forth 
from  the  womb  of  granny  Parrish.     He  made  such  an 
awful    fuss    about   what   was    conceived   in   him,  that 
night  after  night,  and  day  after  day,  he  poured  forth  his 
agony  before  all  living,  as  they  saw  proper  to  assemble. 
For  a  rational  being  to  have  looked  at  him,  and  heard 
him  groan  and  grunt,  and  saw  him  sweat  and  struggle, 
would  have  supposed  that  his  womb  was  as  much  swol- 


APPENDIX.  531 

len  as  was  Rebecca's  when  the  angel  told  her  that  there 
were  two  nations  there.     In  all  this  grunting  business 
he  was  aided  by  Leonard  Rich  ;  who,  however,  was  gen- 
erally so  drunk  that  he  had  to  support   himself  by  some- 
thing, to  keep  him  from  falling  down  ;  but  then  it  was  all 
for  conscience  sake.     Also  a  pair  of  young  black-legs  ; 
one  of  them  a  Massachusetts  shoemaker,  by  the  name  of 
John  F.  Boynton  ;  a  man  notorious  for  nothing  but  ignor- 
ance, ill-breeding,  and  impudence  ;  and  the  other  by  the 
name  of  Luke  Johnson,  whose  notoriety  consisted,  if  in- 
formation be  correct,  in  stealing  a  barrel  of  flour  from 
his  father,  and  other  acts  of  a  similar  kind.     Thus  aided 
Mamma  Parrish  made  a  monstrous  effort  to  bring  forth ; 
and  when  the  full  time  of  gestation  was  come,  the  won- 
der came   forth,   and  the  priests  who  were  in  waiting, 
seized  the  animal  at  its  birth,  rolled  it  up  in  their  papers 
and  sent  it  abroad  to  the  world.     But  Rich,  Boynton, 
and  Johnson,  in  the  character  of  midwives,  waited  around 
the  bed  of  Mamma  Parish  to  get  away  the  after-birth ; 
but  awful  to  relate !   they  no  sooner  got  it  away  than 
Mamma  expired,  and  the  poor  bantling  was  left  in  the 
hands  of  the  priests  to  protect  and  nurse  it,  without  any 
other  friend.     A  short  time  after  the  delivery  of  granny 
,Parrish,   a  little  ignorant  blockhead,   by  the   name  of 
Stephen  Burnett,  whose  heart  was  so  set  on  money,  that  he 
would  at  any  time  sell  his  soul  for  fifty  dollars,  and  then 
think  that  he  had  made  an  excellent  bargain ;  and  who 
had  got  wearied  of  the  restraints  of  religion,  and  could 
not  bear  to  have  his  purse  taxed,  hearing  of  the  delivery 
of  granny  Parrish,  ran  to  Kirtland,  got  into  the  Temple, 
and  tried  with  all  his  power  to  bring  forth  something,  no- 
body knows  what,  nor  did  he  know,  himself  ;  but  he  thought 
as  granny  Parrish  had  been  fruitful,  so  must  he  ;  but 
after  some  terrible  gran  tings,  and  finding  nothing  coming 
but  an  abortion,  rose   up  in  his  anger,  proclaiming  all 
revelation   lies,    and    ran    home  to  his  daddy  with  all 
his  might,  not  leaving  even  an  egg  behind,  and  there  sat 
down  and  rejoiced  in  the  great  victory  he  had  obtained 
over  the  great  God,  and  all  the  holy  angels  ;  how  he  had 
discovered  them  liars  and  impostors. 

There  was  also  a  kind  of  secondary  attendant,  that 
waited  upon  this  granny  of  modern  libels,  whose  name  is 
Sylvester  Smith ;  in  his  character  there  is  something  no- 


532  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

torious — and  that  is,  that  at  a  certain  time  in  Kirtland, 
he  signed  a  libel,  in  order  to  avoid  the  punishment  due 
to  his  crimes  ;  and  in  so  doing  has  disqualified  himself 
for  taking  an  oath  before  any  court  of  justice  in  the 
United  States.  That  libel  can  be  forthcoming  at  any 
time,  if  called  for.  Thus  armed  and  attended,  this  mod- 
ern libeller  has  gone  forth  to  the  assistance  of  the  Priests, 
to  help  them  fight  against  the  great  God,  and  against  his 
work.  How  successful  they  will  be,  future  events  will 
determine.  A  few  words  on  the  history  of  this  Priest's 
help-mate  may  not  be  amiss.  He  went  into  Kirtland, 
Ohio,  some  few  years  since  to  live,  and  hired  his  board- 
ing in  the  house  of  one  Zerah  Cole.  He  had  not,  how- 
ever, been  there  but  a  short  time,  until  Mr.  Cole  began 
to  make  a  grievous  complaint  about  his  taking  unlawful 
freedom  with  his  (Cole's)  wTife.  Parrish  was  accord- 
ingly brought  to  an  account,  before  the  authorities  of 
the  church  for  his  crime.  The  fact  was  established,  that 
such  unlawful  conduct  had  actually  taken  place  between 
Parrish  and  Cole's  wife.  Parrish,  finding  that  he  could 
not  escape,  confessed,  and  plead  for  forgiveness  like  a 
criminal  at  the  bar,  promising  in  the  most  solemn  man- 
ner, that  if  the  church  would  forgive  him,  he  never  would 
do  so  again — and  he  was  accordingly  forgiven.  For 
some  considerable  time  there  were  no  outbreakings  with 
him,  at  least,  that  were  known  ;  but  a  train  of  circum- 
stances begun  at  last  to  fix  guilt  on  his  head,  in  another 
point  of  light.  He  had  the  handling  of  large  sums  of 
money ;  and  it|was  soon  discovered,  that  after  the  money 
was  counted  and  laid  away,  and  came  to  be  used  and 
counted  again,  that  there  was  always  a  part  of  it  missing. 
This  being  the  case  repeatedly,  those  who  owned  it,  know- 
ing that  there  was  no  other  person  but  Parrish  who  had 
access,  suspicion,  of  necessity,  fixed  itself  on  him.  At 
last  the  matter  went  to  such  length,  that  a  search-warrant 
was  called  for,  to  search  his  trunk.  The  warrant  was  de- 
manded at  the  office  of  F.G.  Williams,  Esq.,  but  he  refused 
to  grant  it ;  and  some  difficulty  arose  on  account  of  it. 
The  warrant  was,  however,  at  last  obtained,  but  too  late  ; 
for  the  trunk  in  question  was  taken  out  of  the  wny,  and 
could  not  be  found  ;  but  as  to  his  guilt,  little  doubt  can  be 
entertained,  by  those  acquainted  with  the  circumstances. 
After  this  affair,  Parrish  began  to  discover  that  there 


APPENDIX.  533 

was  great  iniquity  in  the  church,  particularly  in  the  edi- 
tor of  this  paper,  and  began  to  make  a  public  excitement 
about  it ;  but  in  a  short  time  he  had  an  opportunity  of 
proving  to  the  world  the  truth  of  his  assertion.  A  poor, 
persecuting  booby,  by  the  name  of  Grandison  Newell, 
and  who,  in  fact,  was  scarcely  a  grade  above  the  beasts 
that  perish,  went  and  swore  out  a  state's  warrant  against 
the  editor  of  the  paper, — saying  he  was  afraid  of  his  life. 
In  so  doing,  he  swore  a  palpable  lie,  and  everybody  knew 
it,  and  so  did  the  court,  and  decided  accordingly.  One 
of  the  witnesses  called  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Newell  was  War- 
ren Fairish. 

Newell  had  no  doubt  but  great  things  would  be  proven 
by  Parrish.  When  the  day  of  trial,  however,  came,  Par- 
risli  was  not  forthcoming.  Newell's  counsel  demanded  an 
attachment  to  bring  him  forthwith,  and  accordingly  Par- 
rish was  brought.  But  behold  the  disappointment !  when 
Parrish  was  called,  instead  of  fulfilling  Newell's  expecta- 
tion, when  asked  by  the  lawyers,  "  Do  you  know  of  any 
thing  in  the  character  or  conduct  of  Mr.  Smith,  which  is 
unworthy  of  his  professions  as  a  man  of  God  ?  "  the  answer 
was,  "  I  do  not."  The  countenance  of  Newell  fell ;  and  if 
he  had  possessed  one  grain  of  human  feeling,  would  have 
went  off  with  shame  ;  but  of  this  there  is  about  as  much  in 
him,  as  there  is  in  other  beasts.  In  giving  the  answer 
Parrish  didy  he  has  given  the  lie  to  all  that  he  has  said, 
both  before  and  since  ;  and  his  letter,  that  is  now  going 
the  rounds  in  the  Priest's  papers,  is  an  outrageous  pack 
of  lies,  or  else  he  took  a  false  oath  at  Paynesville.  Take 
it  which  way  you  will,  and  the  Priests  have  but  a  feeble 
help-mate  in  Granny  Parrish  !  The  truth  is,  at  the  time 
Parrish  was  called  on  to  give  testimony,  in  Paynesville, 
he  had  not  got  his  nerves  so  strengthened,  as  to  take  a 
false  oath,  and  though  he  could  lie  most  insufferably, 
still,  he  had  some  fear  about  swearing  lies.  But  no 
doubt  if  he  were  called  upon  now,  he  would  swear  lies 
as  fast  as  tell  them ;  since  he  denies  all  revelation,  all 
angels,  all  spirits,  and  has  taken  the  liar  Sylvester  Smith 
by  the  hand,  and  become  his  companion.  Some  time 
after  Parrish  had  given  his  testimony  at  Payuesville,  he 
began  again  to  rail.  The  church  would  bear  it  no  longer, 
and  cut  him  off.  A  short  time  after  he  was  cut  off,  he 
plead  with  them  to  receive  him  back  again,  and  in  order 


534  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

to  get  back,  he  confessed  all  he  had  said  to  be  false, 
asking  forgiveness  for  it,  and  by  much  pleading  and  con- 
fession, and  promises  of  reformation,  was  received  back 
again.  Tims,  once  under  oath,  and  another,  and  another 
time  voluntarily,  for  the  sake  of  getting  back  into  the 
church,  he  confessed  himself,  that  all  that  he  had  said,  and 
all  that  he  had  written,  were  falsehoods  ;  for  his  letter  that 
is  going  the  rounds  in  the  papers,  is  no  more  than  a  reiter- 
ation of  what  he  had  before  declared,  and  denied  him- 
self. This  is  the  poor,  pitiful  resort,  then,  of  the  Priests, 
in  order  to  stop  the  progress  of  the  truth.  But  this  is 
not  all  concerning  Mamma  Parrish.  The  next  business 
we  find  him  in,  is,  robbing  the  Kirtland  bank  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars  at  one  time,  and  large  sums  at 
others.  The  managers  had  in  the  mean  time  appointed 
him  as  Cashier,  and  F.  G-.  Williams  as  President,  and  they 
managed  the  institution  with  a  witness.  Parrish  had 
stole  the  paper  out  of  the  institution,  and  went  to  buying 
Bogus  and  counterfeit  coin  with  it,  becoming  a  partner 
with  the  Tinker's  Creek  black-legs,  and  in  company  with 
Julius  Granger,  in  buying  different  kinds  of  property 
with  it,  and  devoting  it  to  his  own  use,  and  soon  entirely 
destroyed  the  institution.  He  was  aided  by  his  former  as- 
sociates to  take  his  paper,  and  go  and  buy  Bogus  with  it, 
from  the  Tinker's  Creek  black-legs,  and  on  the  way  com- 
ing home,  they  would  way-lay  Parrish  and  his  gang,  and 
rob  them,  so  they  would  lose  the  Bogus  money  at  last. 
Parrish  sold  his  horse  and  carriage  for  Bogus  money,  and 
behold  when  he  came  home  and  opened  his  box  of  Bogus, 
it  was  sand  and  stones.  Parrish  was  somewhat  chagrined 
at  this,  so  he  gets  out  a  state's  warrant,  takes  his  coad- 
jutor, Luke  Johnson,  and  off  to  Tinker's  Creek  they  go, 
— Johnson  a  constable  ;  the  pretended  object  was  to  take 
the  man  who  had  them  (the  horse  and  carriage) ,  one  for 
stealing  them,  and  the  other  as  stolen  property.  Coming 
to  the  place  where  they  were,  Johnson  takes  after  the 
man  and  drives  him  into  a  barn.  Parrish  in  the  mean 
time,  takes  the  horse  and  carriage  and  clears  to  Kirtland 
with  it.  And  when  Johnson  had  pretendedly  tried  to 
take  the  man,  until  he  supposed  Parrish  had  got  off  with 
the  horse  and  carriage,  he  ceased  the  pursuit,  and  went 
home.  For  this,  Parrish  was  taken  by  the  Sheriff  of 
Cuyahoga  county,  his  hands  bound  behind  his  back,  and 


APPENDIX.  535 

held  in  custody  until  he  paid  two  hundred  dollars,  and  if 
he  had  not  paid  it,  he  would  have  stood  a  chance  for  the 
workhouse.  Thus,  O  ye  Priests,  what  a  blessed  com- 
pany of  associates  you  have  got,  to  help  you  on  in  the 
work  of  persecution.  You  ought  to  rejoice  greatly  at  the 
venerable  addition  which  you  have  added  to  your  num- 
bers. No  doubt  they  are  men  as  much  after  your  own 
hearts,  as  ever  David  was  after  the  heart  of  God :  and 
you,  Mr.  Sunderland  in  particular,  you  have,  no  doubt, 
in  Warren  Parrish,  an  helpmate  after  your  own  image, 
and  your  own  likeness.  Congratulate  yourself  greatly, 
for  having  obtained  a  man  after  your  own  heart  to  help 
you  to  lie  and  persecute.  O  ye  Priests  !  but  you  are  a 
heaven-born  race  !  and  that  all  the  world  may  well  know, 
by  the  company  you  keep  ;  you  have  got  Warren  Parrish 
for  an  associate,  a  man  notorious  for  lying,  for  adultery, 
for  stealing,  for  swindling,  and  for  villainy  of  all  kinds, 
but  for  nothing  else  ;  are  you  not  happily  yoked  together 
with  believers,  precisely  of  your  own  characters? — Surely 
you  are,  since  it  is  company  of  your  own  choosing.  For 
our  parts  we  shall  consider  it  an  honor  to  be  belied  and 
persecuted  by  debauchees  ;  in  it  we  will  rejoice  as  long 
as  we  have  breath,  knowing  if  these  men  speak  well  of 
us  that  we  are  not  doing  the  will  of  God,  for  the  friend- 
ship of  such  is  enmity  against  God,  and  the  friend- 
ship of  God  is  enmity  to  such.  And  there,  O  ye  Priests, 
we  leave  you  with  your  holy  company,  until  it  shall  be 
said  to  you  all,  "Depart  ye  workers  of  iniquity,  into 
everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels." 

There  is  another  character,  who  has  figured  somewhat 
in  the  affairs  of  Granny  Parrish — a  Doctor  W.  A.  Cow- 
dery.  This  poor,  pitiful  beggar  came  to  Kirtland  a  few 
years  since,  with  a  large  family,  nearly  naked  and  desti- 
tute. It  was  really  painful  to  see  this  pious  Doctor's 
(for  such  he  professed  to  be)  rags  flying,  when  he  walked 
the  streets  ;  he  was  taken  in  by  us  in  this  pitiful  condi- 
tion, and  we  put  him  into  the  printing  office,  and  gave 
him  enormous  wages,  not  because  he  could  earn  it,  or 
because  we  needed  his  service,  but  merely  out  of  pity  ; 
we  knew  the  man's  incompetency  all  the  time,  and  his 
ignorance  and  inability  to  fill  any  place  in  the  literary 
world,  with  credit  to  himself  or  his  employers  ;  but  not- 
withstanding all  this,  out  of  pure  compassion,  we  gave 


536  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

him  a  place,  and  afterwards  hired  him  to  edit  the  paper 
in  that  place,  and  gave  him  double  as  much  as  he 
could  have  gotten  anywhere  else.  The  subscribers, 
many  at  least,  complained  of  his  inability  to  edit  the 
paper,  and  there  was  much  dissatisfaction  about  it,  but 
still  we  retained  him  in  our  employ  merely  that  he  might 
not  have  to  be  supported  as  a  pauper.  By  our  means 
he  got  himself  and  family  decently  clothed  and  got  sup- 
plied with  all  the  comforts  of  life,  and  it  was  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  supporting  himself  and  family  as 
paupers  ;  for  his  services  were  actually  not  worth  one 
cent  to  us,  but  on  the  contrary  was  an  injury,  the  own- 
ers of  the  establishment  could  have  done  all  the  work 
which  he  did,  themselves,  just  as  well  without  him  as 
with  him.  In  reality  it  was  a  piece  of  pauperism,  but 
now  reader,  mark  the  sequel ;  it  is  a  fact  of  public  no- 
toriety, that  as  soon  as  he  found  himself  and  family  in 
the  possession  of  decent  apparel,  he  began  to  use  all  his 
influence  to  our  injury,  both  in  his  sayings  and  doings. 
We  have  often  heard  it  remarked  by  slave-holders,  that 
you  should  not  make  a  negro  equal  with  you,  or  lie  would 
try  to  walk  over  you  ;  we  have  found  the  saying  verified 
in  this  pious  Doctor,  for  truly  niggardly  spirit  mani- 
fested itself  in  all  its  meanness,  even  in  his  own  writings, 
(and  they  were  very  mean  at  best) .  He  threw  out  foul 
insinuations,  which  no  man  who  has  one  particle  of  noble 
feeling  would  have  condescended  to,  but  such  was  the 
conduct  of  this  master  of  manners;  nor  was  this  nig- 
gardly cause  confined  to  himself,  but  his  sons  also  were 
found  engaged  in  the  same  mean  business.  His  sons,  in 
violation  of  every  sacred  obligation,  were  found  among 
the  number  of  Granny  Parrish  men,  using  all  their  in- 
fluence, which  however  was  nothing,  but  they  were  none 
the  less  guilty  for  that ;  for  if  it  had  been  ever  so  great  it 
would  have  been  used  to  destroy  the  benefactors  of  their 
family  from  poverty  and  wretchedness. 

One  thing  we  have  learned,  that  there  are  negroes  who 
wear  white  skins,  as  well  as  those  who  wear  black  ones. 
Granny  Parrish  and  a  few  others  who  acted  as  lackies, 
such  as  Martin  Harris,  Joseph  Coe,  Cyrus  P.  Smalling, 
etc.,  but  they  are  so  far  beneath  contempt,  that  a  notice  of 
them  would  be  too  great  a  sacrifice  for  a  gentleman  to 
make.  Having  said  so  much,  we  leave  this  hopeful  com- 


APPENDIX.  537 

pany,  in  the  new  bond  of  union  which  they  have  formed 
with  the  Priests. 

While  they  were  held  under  restraint  by  the  church, 
and  had  to  behave  with  a  degree  of  propriety,  at  least, 
the  Priests  manifested  the  greatest  opposition  to  them  ; 
but  no  sooner  were  they  excluded  from  the  fellowship  of 
the  church,  and  gave  loose  to  all  kinds  of  abominations, 
swearing,  lying,  cheating,  swindling,  drinking,  with  every 
other  species  of  debauchery,  then  the  Priests  began  to 
extol  them  to  the  heavens,  for  their  piety  and  virtue, 
and  make  friends  with  them,  and  call  them  the  finest  fel- 
lows in  the  world.  Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  we  say 
of  the  Priests  of  modern  days,  that  they  are  of  Satan's 
own  making,  and  are  of  their  father,  the  Devil?  Nay, 
verily,  nay,  for  no  being  but  a  scandalous  sycophant  and 
base  hypocrite  would  say  otherwise.  Therefore,  until 
we  have  more  evidence  than  we  have  now,  we  shall  al- 
ways think,  when  we  see  men  associating  with  scouu- 
'  clrels,  that  they  themselves  are  scoundrels  ;  and  there  we 
shall  leave  them  for  the  present,  firmly  believing,  that 
when  the  day  of  decision  has  come,  we  shall  see  all  the 
priests  who  adhere  to  the  sectarian  religions  of  the  day, 
with  all  their  followers,  without  an  exception,  receive 
their  portion  with  the  Devil  and  his  angels. 


MRS.  EMMA  SMITH'S  LETTER. 

WE  have  frequently  expressed  the  opinion  that  Mrs. 
Emma  Hale  Smith  never  had  any  confidence  in  the  val- 
idity of  her  husband's  claim  as  "Prophet,  Seer,  and 
Revelator.'"  At  the  time  of  her  death  in  Nauvoo,  a  few 
years  ago,  her  son  Joseph  and  his  friends,  of  the  u  Re- 
constructed Branch  "  of  the  church,  had  much  to  say  of 
her  adherence  to  the  faith,  'and  of  her  having  died  in  f ul 
belief  of  the  truths  of  Mormonism. 

It  is  true  that  in  all  the  later  years  of  her  life,  and- 
since  that  son  had  arrived  at  manhood  and  had  been 
'  placed  in  the  new  Presidential  office,  she  had  lived  in 
friendly  relations  with  him  and  his  followers.  How  far 
this  condition  of  affairs  may  have  changed  her  opinions 
is  not  known  ;  but  certain  it  is,  that  in  her  widowhood, 
and  while  the  son  was  still  a  boy,  and  with  no  aspirations 


538  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

for  a  prophet's  career,  her  feelings  were  otherwise.  She 
was  a  very  quiet  and  unobtrusive  woman,  yet  on  many 
occasions  when  questioned  on  the  subject,  she  is  re- 
ported to  have  expressed  her  unbelief  in  the  sacred  char- 
acter of  her  husband's  mission. 

The  year  1845  was  one  of  turbulence  at  Nauvoo. 
Among  all  the  aspirants  for  the  prophet's  mantle,  Brig- 
ham  Young  was  the  successful  one,  and  was  preparing 
to  lead  his  followers  to  Oregon  or  California.  In  the 
New  York  Sun  of  about  Dec.  1,  1845,  was  published  the 
following  letter  from  Mrs.  Smith,  which  goes  far  to  sub- 
stantiate the  correctness  of  our  opinion  : 

NAUVOO  (111.),  Nov.  20th,  1845. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  New  York  Sun  : 

SIR  : — I  hope  to  be  excused  for  addressing,  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  a  letter  to  the  Editor  of  a  newspaper, 
and  this  I  have  been  induced  to  do  from  seeing  the  let- 
ter of  General  Arlington  Bennett,  published  in  the  news- 
papers, urging  the  Mormon  people  to  remove  to  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  and  advocating  the  cause  of  the  tyrants,  who 
have  seized  on  the  government  of  the  Mormon  Church. 
This  church,  such  as  it  is,  was  formed  by  my  lamented  hus- 
band who  was  martyred  for  its  sake,  and  whether  true 
or  false,  has  laid  down  his  life  for  its  belief ! 

I  am  left  here,  sir,  with  a  family  of  children  to  at- 
tend to,  without  any  means  of  giving  them  an  education 
for  there  is  not  a  school  in  the  city,  nor  is  it  intended 
there  shall  be  any  here,  or  at  any  other  place,  where  the 
men,  who  now  govern  this  infatuated,  simple-minded 
people,  have  sway.  I  have  not  the  least  objection  that 
these  petty  tyrants  remove  to  California  or  any  other  re- 
mote place,  out  of  the  world  if  they  wish  ;  for  they  will 
never  be  of  any  service  to  the  Mormons,  or  the  human 
family,  no  matter  where  they  go.  Their  object  is  to 
keep  the  people  over  whom  they  rule  in  the  greatest  ig- 
norance, and  most  abject  religious  bondage,  if  these 
poor  confiding  creatures  remove  with  them,  they  will  die 
in  the  wilderness ! — The  laws  of  the  United  States  are 
quite  good  enough  for  me  and  my  children,  and  my  set- 
tled intention  is  to  remain  where  I  am,  take  care  of  my 
property,  and  if  1  cannot  educate  my  children  here, 
send  them  to  New  York  or  New  England  for  that  pur- 


APPENDIX.  539 

pose.  Many  of  the  Mormons  will,  no  doubt,  remove  in 
the  spring,  and  many  more  will  remain  here  :  and  noth- 
ing would  give  me  greater  pleasure  than  to  have  a  mixed 
society  in  Nauvoo,  as  in  other  cities,  and  all  exclusive 
religious  distinctions  abolished. 

I  must  now  say,  that  I  never  for  a  moment  believed  in 
what  my  husband  called  his  apparitions  or  revelations,  as 
I  thought  him  laboring  under  a  diseased  mind ;  yet,  they 
may  all  be  true,  as  a  Prophet  is  seldom  without  credence 
or  honor,  excepting  in  his  own  family  or  country ;  but 
as  my  conviction  is  to  the  contrary,  I  shall  educate  my 
children  in  a  different  faith,  and  teach  them  to  obey  and 
reverence  the  laws  and  institutions  of  their  country. 
Shall  I  not,  sir,  be  protected  in  these  resolutions  against 
the  annoyance  of  the  men  I  now  oppose,  for  they  will  no 
doubt  seek  my  life  ? 

What  object  Gen.  Arlington  Bennett  has  in  advocat- 
ing the  cause  of  these  tyrants  I  am  unable  to  understand, 
for  he  assured  me  when  at  my  house,  that  he  had  not 
the  remotest  intention  of  connecting  himself  in  any  man- 
ner with  them,  much  less  of  removing  with  them  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  But  this  is  a  strange  world  ;  and  I  would 
not  be  surprised  if  they  had  offered  to  annoint  and  crown 
him  King  or  Emperor  in  the  West !  As  I  have  something 
more  to  say,  I  will  take  the  liberty  to  write  you  another 
letter. 

With  great  respect, 

I  am,  sir,  your  humble  servant, 

EMMA  SMITH. 


THE  MORMONS  OR  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS. 

GLIMPSES  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  UTAH  AND  ITS  FOUNDERS. 

From  Life  Notes,  Memory,  History  and  Statistics. 

BY  J.  E.  JOHNSON,  ST.  GEORGE,  UTAH. 

[XoTE. — Whilst  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  this  work, 
the  writer  was  under  the  necessity  of  applying  to  Utah  for 
certain  documents  he  needed.  These  were  obtained  from  the 
gentleman  above  named,  a  former  citizen  of  Hancock  county, 
Illinois,  a  strong  believer  in  the  creed  and  mission  of  Mormon- 
ism.  In  return  for  his  many  acts  of  kindness  during  this  cor- 
respondence, in  forwarding  books  and  papers  and  responding 
to  enquiries,  at  his  suggestion  he  was  promised  a  hearing  in 


540  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

this  Appendix,  from  his  own  standpoint.  He  accordingly 
prepared  and  forwarded  the  paper  which  follows — to  which  a 
place  is  herein  cheerfully  given.  The  intelligent  reader  and 
all  persons  acquainted  with  the  history  of  Mormonisra,  will 
readily  discover  its  many  exaggerations,  erroneous  statements 
and  inferences,  and  perversion  of  facts,  and  be  able  to  correct 
them.  It  can  hardly  be  expected  that  Mr.  Johnson  vrill  live 
to  realize  the  extent  of  the  monstrous  delusion  under  which 
he  and  his  many  kindred  in  Utah  have  spent  their  lives,  and 
the  infamy  which  the  world  accords  to  its  originators  and 
abettors.*] 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

ON  the  18th  day  of  April,  1817, 1  was  born  of  Puritan 
parents,  in  the  then  wilds  of  western  New  York, — Pom- 
fret, — Chautauqua  Co.,  my  parents  having  recently  emi- 
grated from  Graf  ton,  Mass.  I  am  one  of  sixteen  chil- 
dren, born  of  my  mother,  to  my  father. 

In  the  winter  of  1830-31,  being  then  13  years  old,  I 
first  saw  the  so-called  "Mormon  Elders,"  who  came  to 
our  farm-house,  with  their  strange  doctrine  and  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  My  mother,  elder  brothers  and  sisters,  and 
many  of  our  neighbors,  were  believers  ;  and  in  the  spring 
of  1832,  our  family  removed  to  Kirtland,  Ohio,  where  I 
first  became  acquainted  with  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet, 
his  parents,  brothers,  and  sisters.  At  that  time  our 
house  for  public  meetings,  16x24,  was  ample  for  the 
Sunday  congregation.  From  the  time  I  first  saw  him  to 
the  period  of  his  death,  I  lived  in  most  friendly  relations 
with  the  prophet  and  his  kindred ;  and  will  here  state 
that  I  never  saw  in  him  an  ungenerous  or  dishonest  ac- 
tion. In  1837  a  complication  of  civil,  religious,  and  po- 
litical difficulties  caused  a  determination  to  abandon 
Kirtland,  and  go  to  the  new  home  in  Missouri.  The  he- 
gira  began  and  finished  up  with  the  remaining  poor,  who 
went  in  a  large  body  called  the  "Kirtland  Camp"  in 
1838,  after  finishing  and  dedicating  the  temple. 

Ere  we  had  reached  the  desired  haven,  the  cruel  order  of 
Gov.  Boggs  had  been  proclaimed,  and  many  of  our  peo- 
ple were  fleeing,  for  a  more  hospitable  country,  for  their 
lives,  and  were  kindly  received  by  the  people  of  Illinois  ; 
many  of  whom  were  noble,  high-minded,  and  generous 
people. 

*  Since  the  foregoing  was  written  a  letter  from  St.  George 
informs  us  that  Mr.  Johnson  had  emigrated  to  Arizona  and  is 
now  dead. 


APPENDIX.  541 

In  1839  Nauvoo  was  founded,  at  Commerce,  and  many 
of  the  exiles  gathered  there.  Change  of  location  and 
climate,  exhaustion  and  poverty,  made  this  then  unhealthy 
region  more  deadly  still, — all  were  more  or  less  sick,  and 
many  died.. 

^""Tsoon  went  as  physician  and  nurse,  and  so  acted,  until 
I  was  prostrated  with  fever.  I  was  at  the  laying  of  the 
foundation  and  capstone  of  the  temple — was  afterward 
imprisoned  therein,  and  still  later  saw  its  destruction  by 
fire.  I  was  P.  M.  at  Macedonia  (now  Webster)  and 
kept  a  store  also.  /When  Gov.  Ford  with  State  troops 
was  in  Carthage,  Col.  A.  W.  Babbitt  and  myself  went 
over  to  talk  with  him.  The  Governor  told  us  his  plan  : 
to  get  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  to  deliver  themselves  up 
and  go  to  Carthage  jail,  and  he  would  then  disband  the 
troops  and  not  allow  them  to  march  into  the  city  ;  and 
asked  the  Colonel  and  myself  to  carry  a  dispatch  to  the 
prophet  that  night.  It  was  raining  and  nearly  sundown, 
but  we  accepted  the  mission,  ordered  the  buggy,  and 
started,  but  were  immediately  stopped  by  the  military, 
who  rushed  before  and  around  us,  threatening  our  liyesjf " 
we  did  not  return,.  Sheriff  Backenstos  and  others  en- 
deavored~m  vain  to  open  our  way,  and  not  until  the 
Governor  stood  on  our  carriage  and  loudly  commanded 
a  dispersion,  were  we  allowed  to  go  on,  Darkness  came. 
We  were  pursued,  but  having  turned  towards  La  Harpe, 
when  we  reached  the  open  prairie,  we  were  saved.  All 
that  stormy  night  in  the  wet  prairie,  we  traveled,  and  at 
daylight  found  ourselves  near  Warsaw — turned  our  course 
— presented  the  Governor's  message — waited  a  day, 
when  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  accepting  the  Governor's 
promise  of  protection,  started  on  return  with  us  to  Carth- 
age. (But  meeting  the  officer  sent  to  demand  the  State 
arms,  the  party  returned  to  Nauvoo. 

Early  in  spring,  after  the  death  of  the  prophet,  while 
in  bed  at  home  in  Macedonia,  I  was  awakened  and  called 
to  the  door  by  some  30  mounted  men  and  told  to  leave 
the  country  within  30  days, — nor  stay  at  my  peril.  I 
asked  why,  what  had  I  done?  and  was  answered  "  Noth- 
ing ;  "  but  that  were  I  permitted  to  staj^,  other  Mormons 
would  remain,  and  they  were  determined  to  rid  the  county 
of  all  speedily.  Unable  to  dispose  of  property  or  gain 
means,  I  went  meantime  to  Nauvoo,  to  gain  time ; 


542  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

was  present  and  bore  arms  in  the  fight  between  the  new 
citizens  and  so-called  posse  ;  was  taken  prisoner  and 
incarcerated  in  the  temple./'  Afterward  I  was  permitted 
my  liberty  (?)  on  condition  of  leaving  the  State  in  12 
hours,  to  which  I  agreed.  There  being  no  ferry  boat  run- 
ning, I  took  the  first  steamer,  which  happened  to  be  bound 
for  Galena,  and  with  my  family  left  Illinois.  The  excite- 
ment and  exertion  consequent  upon  the  rapid  transpira- 
tion of  events  brought  on  a  severe  attack  of  fever,  and 
I  was  prostrate  and  delirious,  and  first  found  myself  and 
family  on  the  levee  at  the  steamer  landing  at  Galena.  Find- 
ing small  chance  here  for  one  so  destitute,  we  must  needs 
return  by  next  steamer,  and  landed  at  Montrose  sick 
and  destitute.  Mr.  Peck  paid  my  debt  to  the  steamer, 
and  we  took  first  opportunity  to  remove  up  the  Des  Moines 
river,  and  in  the  spring  of  1849  arrived  at  Kanesville 
(now  Council  Bluffs)  ;  built  a  storehouse,  the  first  frame 
building  built  on  the  Missouri  slope,  and  started  a  store, 
supplying  the  great  overland  emigration  to  Utah  and 
California.  In  1850,  being  in  bad  health,  I  crossed  the 
plains  to  Utah  in  July,  and  returned  in  October  greatly 
improved  in  health. 

In  1852,  I,  in  company  with  Almon  W.  Babbitt,  es- 
tablished the  Council  Bluffs  Bugle,  a  weekly  democratic 
newspaper,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1853,  together 
with  my  stores  and  business,  taking  nearly  all  I  had  ; 
but  soon  another  office  was  in  its  place,  and  I  published 
the  paper  until  1856,  and  had  meantime  issued  the  Oma- 
ha Arrow,  the  first  paper  published  in  Nebraska ;  and 
also  established  another  office  at  Crescent  City,  Iowa,  and 
published  the  Crescent  City  Oracle,  and  in  '57  the  Council 
Bluffs  Press ;  and  at  Wood  River  Center,  Central  Ne- 
braska, the  Huntsman's  Echo  was  published,  and  a  mer- 
cantile supply  station  established.  In  autumn  of  1858  I 
(Johnson,  Blake  &  Co.)  sent  the  first  train  of  goods  for 
miners'  supplies  to  the  "  Cherry  Creek  "  mines,  and  we  built 
the  first  house  on  the  new  site  of  Denver  City.  Being 
editor  of  a  democratic  paper,  and  not  approving  the  war 
programme, — I  concluded  it  prudent  to  leave  the  frontier, 
and  go  to  my  kindred  and  people  in  Utah,  which  I  did  in 
1861,  since  which  my  labors  have  been  divided  between 
horticulture,  mercantile  and  publishing  pursuits. 

I  am  now  65  years  old,  and  I  have  17  living  children  and 


APPENDIX.  543 

18  grandchildren, — all  a. pride  and  comfort  to  me.  The 
descendants  of  my  parents,  now  settled  in  the  Rocky 
Mountain  region,  number  over  500 — among  whom  there 
is  no  one  profane,  a  drunkard,  a  gambler,  or  a  harlot ! 

THE  HEGIRA  FROM  NAUVOO. 

Early  in  February,  1846,  the  Mormons  began  crossing 
the  Mississippi  River,  exiles  from  Nauvoo,  to  seek  a 
home  in  a  land  of  which  little  was  known,  except  that  it 
was  a  mountain  desert ;  and  by  the  first  of  March  400 
wagons  had  accumulated  a  few  miles  from  the  river,  in 
Iowa,  and  in  organizations  of  tens,  fifties,  and  hundreds, 
officered  and  ready.  Though  scantily  supplied  with 
even  necessaries,  the  cavalcade  started  northwestwards, 
towards  the  Rocky  Mountains.  From  inclemency  of  the 
weather,  and  scant  supply  of  teams,  the  able-bodied, 
male  and  female,  traveled  on  foot,  and  great  hardships 
and  much  suffering  were  experienced  in  the  slow  toiling 
progress  through  snow,  mud,  and  storm,  many  falling 
sick  on  the  way  over  a  trackless  country  across  unsettled 
Iowa. 

That  the  sick  might  be  cared  for,  and  rest  given  to 
teams  exhausted,  two  settlements  were  made  on  the 
route,  called  severally  Garden  Grove  and  Mount  Pisgah, 
where  rude  houses  were  erected,  ground  broken,  and 
crops  planted ;  all  teams  that  were  able  pushing  on,  the 
foremost  arriving  at  Council  Bluffs  early  in  June,  then 
occupied  by  the  Pottawattamie  Indians.  On  the  26th 
of  that  month,  a  United  States  recruiting  officer  arrived 
in  camp,  by  order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
asking  for  the  enlistment  of  a  battalion  of  500  men  to 
march  to  California  to  seize  and  hold  that  country,  then 
a  Mexican  State.  This  demand  was  cheerfully  responded 
to,  the  enlisted  men  officered,  and  on  the  loth  of  July 
commenced  their  march. 

The  loss  of  so  large  a  force  from  the  camp  made  it  im- 
possible to  move  forward  that  season.  So  a  location  was 
selected  on  the  west  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  by  consent 
of  the  Omaha  Indians,  who  owned  that  country  ;  houses 
were  built,  the  prarie  sod  turned  over,  and  much  of  late 
crops  planted,  ranges  for  stock  selected,  men  sent  into 
Missouri  to  obtain  grain  and  provisions  for  their  labor, 
and  all  that  was  possible  was  done  to  sustain  and  feed 


544  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

the  multitude  through  the  approaching  winter.  The  place 
was  named  "Winter  Quarters,"  and  before  the  falling  of 
snow,  a  city  of  near  500  rude  buildings  had  been  built 
for  dwellings,  shops,  schools  and  houses  of  worship. 
From  toil,  hardship  and  privations  of  the  journey,  change 
of  climate  and  habits,  many  who  hopefully  started  upon 
this  pilgrimage  were  laid  to  rest  upon  a  high  bluff  above 
the  rude  town  ;  while  the  graves  of  others  who  fell  by  the 
way  marked  the  course  of  their  journeying  with  sad 
monuments  of  their  religious  zeal,  and  faith  in  the  doc- 
trine this  people  professed.  In  course  of  the  winter  and 
spring,  flour,  meal  and  meat  were  brought  up  from  Mis- 
souri— the  result  of  labor  and  exchange  of  such  property 
as  could  be  spared — to  amply  supply  the  multitude,  that 
by  springtime  had  gathered  for  the  journey.  Watches, 
jewelry,  and  many  valuable  trifles  were  exchanged  for 
food,  clothing,  and  necessaries  for  the  journey ;  and 
on  the  7th  of  July,  1847,  as  many  as  could  be  mus- 
tered with  safe  teams  and  outfit  started  from  Winter 
Quarters,  leaving  the  remainder  in  a  condition  to  raise 
their  bread  until  prepared  to  follow.  The  camp  con- 
sisted of  73  wagons,  143  men,  3  women  and  2  children, 
148  souls, — the  families  remaining  behind  to  follow  the 
train  of  the  pioneers  whenever  the  condition  of  things 
would  permit. 

This  party  was  organized  into  companies  of  tens,  with 
a  captain  over  each,  with  Brigham  Young  as  Commander- 
in-Chief ;  and  thus  equipped,  organized,  and  officered, 
made  the  first  white  man's  wagon  trail  up  the  Platte 
River ;  making  boats  and  rafts  upon  which  to  cross 
streams,  killing  buffalo  enough  for  the  meat  supply, 
arriving  in  sight  of  Chimney  Rock  May  23d,  at  Fort 
Laramie  June  1st,  and  the  South  Pass  on  the  26th.  On 
the  4th  of  July  the  passage  of  Green  River  was  made  ; 
and  here  they  met  Samuel  Brannan,  who  had  previously 
landed  at  San  Francisco  with  a  company  from  the  east 
in  the  ship  Brooklynn,  whence  he  had  come  tp  pilot  the 
pioneers  on  their  journey. 

ENTERING  SALT  LAKE  VALLEY. 

On  the  24th  of  July,  1847,  the  company  of  pioneers 
entered  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley,  and  encamped  on  the 
site  of  Salt  Lake  City,  celebrating  the  event  by  worship 


APPENDIX.  645 

and  rejoicing.  The  next  day  plowing  ground  for  crops 
commenced,  and  potatoes  and  many  seeds  were  put  in 
the  ground,  and  water  for  irrigation  taken  from  City 
Creek  in  a  ditch.  In  days  following  the  country  was  ex- 
plored 100  miles  north  and  nearly  as  far  south.  On  the 
29th  about  400  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  returning  from 
the  Pacific  arrived  at  the  camp,  having  in  company  100  of 
their  brethren  from  Mississippi,  adding  400  head  of  stock. 
The  site  of  Salt  Lake  City  was  determined  in  council. 
On  Sunday,  the  20th,  a  conference  was  held  and  men 
chosen  both  for  civil  and  religious  officers  of  the  colony, 
and  on  the  26th  most  of  the  Battalion  and  pioneers 
started  on  their  return  to  Winter  Quarters,  where  their 
families  had  been  left.  On  their  return  they  met  600 
wagons  of  familes  and  brethren  on  their  way  to  their 
new  home,  and  arrived  at  Winter  Quarters,  Oct.  31st. 

The  next  year  the  emigration  for  Salt  Lake  numbered 
nearly  1,000  wagons, — and  thus  was  the  foundation 
laid  for  the  richest  and  most  populous  and  prosperous 
territory  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  rich  in  climate,  pure 
water,  minerals,  grasses,  and  the  varied  products  of  the 
soil. 

AT  WORK  IN  EARXEST. 

Now  explorations  continue,  roads  are  made  into  the 
canons  for  timber  and  lumber,  houses  built,  lands  sur- 
veyed, fields  fenced,  and  the  city  laid  out ;  lands  plowed, 
canals  dug,  and  seeds  of  every  attainable  utilitarian  plant 
put  into  the  ground  ;  and  local  government  established. 
Settlements  were  extended  north,  south,  and  west  fifty 
miles.  The  year  following,  the  first  crops  in  nearly  all 
the  settlements  were  devastated  by  crickets,  that  brought 
the  colonists  nearly  to  a  state  of  starvation.  Bran-bread, 
wild  roots,  and  sometimes  the  hides  of  cattle,  were  sweet 
morsels.  Late  crops  were  planted  and  happily  saved 
the  colony.  The  colony  was  increased  to  many  thou- 
sands, and  settlements  increased.  A  constitutional  con- 
vention was  called,  a  constitution  and  state  govern- 
ment provided,  and  representatives  sent  to  Washington 
on  behalf  of  the  "  State  of  Deseret."  Congress  took 
action  and  organized  the  country  into  the  Territory  of 
Utah  in  1850,  with  Brigharn  Young  as  governor, — and 
there  was  peace,  prosperity,  and  plenty  in  the  land. 


546  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

In  1849  began  the  rush  of  emigration  from  the  East 
for  the  El  Dorado  of  gold  in  California,  first  discovered 
by  members  of  the  Mormon  Battalion,  while  digging  a 
mill-race  for  Captian  S utter.  The  next  year  the  tide  of 
gold-seekers  was  immense,  and  millions  of  dollars'  worth 
of  property  was  left  by  the  roadside,  and  in  Salt  Lake  ex- 
changed for  trifles,  including  wagons,  merchandise,  tools, 
and  every  conceivable  thing  needed  by  the  colonists. 
For  these  they  exchanged  the  produce  of  the  country, 
fresh  teams,  pack-saddles,  etc.  These  were  providential 
supplies  on  both  sides — saving  life  with  one  party,  and 
driving  want  from  the  other.  And  thus  this  young  col- 
ony largely  facilitated  the  settlement  of  the  Golden 
State. 

When  gold  was  discovered  in  California,  Captain  Sam. 
Brannan  (one  of  my  old  schoolmates) ,  together  with  the 
remnant  of  the  Mormon  Battalion,  and  passengers  on 
the  BrooTdynn,  together  joined  in  the  gold  search,  aban- 
doning the  site  of  San  Francisco,  where  they  had  made 
claims,  and  settled ;  and  within  a  year  large  sums  were 
collected,  of  which  one -tenth  was  paid  as  tithing,  and 
soon  a  golden  currency  was  coined  at  Salt  Lake,  and  for 
several  years  was  used  in  commercial  business  at  par. 
Being  lighter  than  U.  S.  coin,  but  without  alloy,  its 
coinage  and  use  were  discontinued.  This  influx  of  the 
precious  metal  materially  assisted  the  colonists  in  the 
purchase  of  machinery  greatly  needed,  and  aided  the 
large  emigration  that  yearly  crossed  the  plains  with 
wagons. 

The  Federal  officers,  non-residents  in  the  Territory, 
arrived  in  July,  1851  ;  but  not  satisfied,  returned  and 
resigned  their  commissions  the  following  year. 

These  vacancies  were  subsequently  filled  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  Messrs.  Kinney,  Stiles,  and  Drummond  to 
the  bench,  and  A.  W.  Babbitt,  of  Utah,  secretary.  Ex- 
cepting the  last  named,  these  returned,  in  1856,  to  Wash- 
ington, and  their  falsehood  and  misrepresentation  of 
the  condition  of  things  in  Utah,  was  the  cause  of  send- 
ing an  army  to  Utah  in  A.  D.  1857,  upon  the  strength 
of  the  statements  of  these  men,  without  having  sent  a 
commission  to  ascertain  the  facts. 

The  people  of  Utah  withstood  this  outrage  upon  their 
rights  as  American  citizens,  and  refused  to  allow  the 


APPENDIX.  647 

army  to  enter  the  settlement.  Meantime  the  legislative 
assembly  met  and  sent  a  memorial  to  Congress,  asking 
to  be  heard.  Commissioners  were  finally  sent,  and  re- 
turning, made  report  of  the  utter  falsehood  of  the  judges. 
The  army  marched  in  and  formed  an  encampment  at 
Camp  Floyd  ;  the  new  Governor  (dimming)  was  installed 
the  people  of  the  colony  exoneraed  from  the  crimes 
charged  against  them,  and  peace  again  restorad,  at  a 
cost  to  the  government  of  some  millions  of  dollars,  paid 
for  the  administrative  blunder. 

Much  credit  is  due  to  Thomas  L.  Kane  for  the  settle- 
ment and  prompt  adjustment  of  this  difficulty. 

Industries  and  enterprise  again  assert  their  sway  ;  set- 
tlements are  yearly  extended — even  into  surrounding 
territories ;  machinery,  mills,  and  factories  set  in  mo- 
tion ;  and  again  the  destructive  cricket  and  grasshopper 
appear  in  myriads  on  several  occasions.  In  1861  and  '62 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  telegraph  was  completed,  and 
settlements  extended  to  Bear  Lake  in  the  north,  and  to 
the  Colorado,  far  south  of  the  southern  line  of  Utah.  In 
January,  1870,  the  last  rail  of  the  Utah  Central  Railroad 
was  laid  at  Salt  Lake  City,  amid  the  rejoicing  of  many 
thouands  who  had  gathered  to  witness  it  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  first  train  of  cars  from  the  junction  (at 
Ogden)  with  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific,  which  the 
colonists  had  greatly  assisted  in  constructing. 

The  same  year  the  Utah  Legislature  passed  the  bill 
granting  suffrage  to  women ;  also,  previous  to  the  last 
date,  the  people  of  Utah  had  built  telegraph  lines  to 
every  important  settlement  in  the  territory,  and  at  a  later 
date  extended  a  line  into  Nevada,  at  Pioche,  and  north 
into  Idaho.  The  Utah  Southern  and  extension  reached 
its  present  terminus  in  1880,  and  they  also  had  built  a 
line  north  from  Ogdeu  into  Idaho,  and  another  westward. 
The  vast  mining  operations  going  forward,  nearly  the 
whole  extent  of  the  territory,  together  with  a  large  sur- 
plus of  grain  and  other  produce,  the  need  of  machineiy 
and  moving  of  produce,  greatly  hastened  the  completion 
of  these  roads.  The  settlements  and  the  region  of  Wash- 
ington and  Kane  counties  possess  a  mild  climate,  and 
produce  most  semi-tropical  fruits  and  crops,  cotton,  exotic 
grapes,  etc.,  in  great  perfection. 

Since  1875,  a  large  number  of  LTtah  colonists  have 


548  THE    PltOPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

been  settling  the  vacant  regions  of  Arizona,  New  Mex- 
ico, Colorado,  Wyoming,  Idaho,  and  Nevada  ;  and  these 
are  reckoned  among  the  most  industrious  and  enterpris- 
ing of  the  good  citizens  of  these  regions.  The  numbers 
of  this  people  in  these  mountain  regions,  outside  of  Utah, 
will  approximate  75,000. 

Brigharn  Young,  the  founder  of  Utah,  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six,  and  was  deeply  mourned  by  all  his  people. 
Following  his  death,  the  twelve  apostles  assumed  control 
of  the  affairs  and  interests  of  the  church,  and  were  thus 
sustained  by  all  the  congregations. 

The  mining,  commercial,  manufacturing,  legal,  and 
other  business  has  grown  to  important  proportions  ;  the 
people  are  in  many  instances  wealthy,  and  all  are  well- 
to-do,  there  being  no  citizen  paupers. 

This  condition  of  things  has  attracted  many  lawyers, 
speculators,  and  sharpers.  Some  of  these  men  have  been 
government  appointees  to  official  positions.  An  antag- 
onism has  ever  been  fostered  by  these  people,  termed 
outsiders,  newspapers  published,  clubs  organized,  and 
every  means  employed,  including  the  aid  of  missionaries 
of  various  denominations,  to  break  up  the  unity  and  co- 
hesiveness  of  the  people,  that  they  may  obtain  political 
control.  Congress  has  been  repeatedly  appealed  to,  to 
aid  in  the  work  of  taking  from  the  people  their  religious 
and  political  rights,  and  in  a  number  of  instances  they 
have  succeeded  in  getting  laws  passed  by  Congress,  os- 
tensibly for  the  eradication  of  polygamy,  but  really  for 
the  purpose  of  breaking  up  and  destroying  the  religious 
system  of  the  people  of  Utah,  as  is  apparent  on  reading 
the  discussions  in  Congress,  on  the  recently  passed 
Edmunds  Bill,  and  the  published  admissions  of  the  au- 
thors of  this  un-American  measure. 

Utah  to-day,  under  "  Mormon  rule,"  is  the  most  pros- 
perous, and  best  governed  of  all  the  Rocky  Mountain 
States  and  Territories.  Let  us  see — "  A  tree  is  known 
by  its  fruits,"  is  a  trite  and  true  saying.  Let  us  reason 
together — shake  the  tree,  examine  and  test  the  fruit,  ere 
we  judge  the  tree,  or  the  doctrines,  teachings,  and  practices 
that  bring  such  results. 

All  the  facts,  figures,  and  statements  following  are  de- 
duced from  published  official  reports,  and  open  and  ad- 
mitted facts,  in  approximate  measure  and  number. 


APPENDIX.  549 

The  present  (1882)  population  of  Utah  is  150,000  ;  of 
this  there  are  but  about  15,000  non-Mormons. 

This  population  is  distributed  among  250  cities,  towns, 
and  settlements  ;  Salt  Lake  City,  with  a  population  of  20,- 
000,  is  the  largest  city  and  capital — politically,  religiously, 
and  commercially  of  the  territory. 

There  are  in  Utah  1,000  miles  of  telegraph  and  500 
miles  of  railroad. 

Value  of  exports  and  imports,  820,000,000  annually. 

Amount  of  jobbing  and  trade,  $12,000,000. 

Annual  value  of  manufactures,  $500,000  (not  includ- 
ing mining) . 

Annual  product  of  mines,  $10,000,000. 

Utah  contains  85,000  square  miles.  Of  this  there  are 
in  cultivation  250,000  acres.  Varying  in  altitude  from 
2,900  feet  above  sea  level  at  St.  George,  in  the  extreme 
south,  to  6,440  in  the  far  north  at  Randolph,  on  Bear 
River.  The  Wasatch  Mountains  rise  to  an  altitude  above 
the  sea  level  from  6,000  to  13,000  feet. 

Great  Salt  Lake  covers  an  area  of  nearly  4,000  square 
miles. 

The  coal  lands  in  Utah,  as  returned  by  government 
surveyors  to  the  land  office  in  Salt  Lake  City,  are  125- 
000  acres. 

Value  of  capital  used  in  mining  and  reduction  works, 
$25,000,000,  approximately. 

Valuable  minerals  and  ores  found  in  Utah,  and  more 
or  less  worked ;  viz.,  gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  zinc,  an- 
timony, arsenic,  sulphur,  alum,  sulphate  of  iron,  cement, 
lime,  salt,  potash,  mineral  wax,  asphaltum,  plaster  of 
Paris,  and  last  but  not  least,  iron  and  coal  in  vast  quanti- 
ties. 

Utah  has  100  flouring  mills,  125  saw  mills,  20  tanner- 
ies, 6  cotton  and  woolen  mills  with  5,000  spindles,  20 
boot  and  shoe  factories,  10  furniture  manufactories,  a 
number  of  foundries  and  machine  shops,  broom  manu- 
factories, 25  printing-offices,  and  as  many  newspapers. 

Acres  in  fruit,  8,000,  annual  value,  $500,000. 

Number  of  horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep,  goats,  and 
swine,  600,000,  valued  at  $8,000,000.  Wool  clip  of  1882, 
estimated  at  2,000,000  Ibs.,  value  $500,000. 

School  population  in  Utah,  35,000,  and  over  350 
schoolhouses  ;  the  school  property  representing  a  value 


550  THE    PROPHET    OF    PALMYRA. 

of  three- fourths  of  a  million  dollars.  Money  raised  by 
taxation  for  school  purposes,  $35,000  ;  appropriated  by 
the  Legislature  for  schools,  20,000.  There  are  several 
academies  and  one  collage  in  Utah. 

COMPARATIVE  ILLITERACY. 

The  amount  per  capita  of  our  school  population  that 
is  invested  in  school  property,  Utah,  exceeds  several 
southern  and  western  states, — is  in  advance  of  both 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  the  general  average  of  the 
entire  Union.  According  to  the  population,  Utah,  as 
compared  with  Massachusetts — 

Has  a  larger  percentage  of  school  attendance  ; 

A  smaller  percentage  of  illiteracy  ; 

Less  percentage  of  convicts  ; 

Only  about  a  fifth  of  the  percentage  of  insane ; 

No  paupers  among  our  citizens  ; 

A  larger  percentage  of  printing  establishments ; 

A  much  larger  percentage  of  churches. 

Utah  has  far  less  percentage  of  white  population  that 
cannot  read  and  write,  that  are  over  10  years  of  age, 
than  the  white  population  of  the  whole  United  States. 

The  percentage  of  total  white  population  who  cannot 
write  in  Utah,  is  5.71.  Sixteen  states  and  territories 
show  a  far  higher  percentage — eight  being  above  15,  and 
two  above  20;  Rhode  Island  having  8.72  and  Massa- 
chusetts 5.14. 

Before  the  advent  of  non-Mormons  into  Utah  there 
were  no  saloons,  no  gambling  houses,  no  gaudy  temples 
cf  departed  virtue,  and  prostitution  was  unknown,  until 
introduced  by  United  States  officials. 

There  are  in  Utah  300  societies  for  the  relief  of  the 
poor  and  afflicted,  with  a  fund  at  their  disposal  aggre- 
gating over  $100,000. 

Through  the  bishops  and  others,  in  all  the  cities, 
towns,  and  settlements,  provisions  are  made  that  no 
human  being  need  go  hungry. 

In  every  town  and  settlement  in  the  territory  there 
are  organizations  for  mutual  improvement  of  the  young 
that  hold  regular  meetings  monthly  or  oftener,  having 
good  libraries,  and  lectures,  scientific  and  religious. 

In  nearly  every  settlement,  town,  and  city,  there  are 


APPENDIX.  551 

organizations  for  agricultural  improvement, — gardeners' 
clubs  and  pomological  societies. 

In  every  ward  in  the  Territory  teachers  are  appointed, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  watch  over  the  actions  and  interests  of 
the  people,  restrain  disorder,  to  settle  all  difficulties,  peace- 
ably if  possible,  and  bring  to  account  the  refractory  and 
those  who  trespass  upon  their  neighbors,  and  to  promote 
good  feeling  and  brotherly  love  and  unity. 

CRIMINALITY. 

The  non-Mormon  population  of  Utah  is  about  10  per 
cent.  The  arrests  made  in  Salt  Lake  City  for  the  year 
1881,  were  1,020  ;  of  this  number  169  claimed  to  be  Mor- 
mons, and  851  were  non-Mormons. 

In  the  city  and  county  prisons,  there  were  recently  35 
prisoners,  all  non-Mormons,  and  in  all  the  14  jails  and 
prisons  in  the  Territory,  there  were  125  prisoners,  and  of 
these  114  were  non-Mormons. 

Of  the  20  counties  in  the  Territory,  13  are  almost  ex- 
clusively Mormon,  and  these  contain  no  dram  shop, 
brewery,  gaining  house,  brothel,  bowling  saloon,  or 
pauper.  All  houses  of  prostitution,  and  other  disrepu- 
table concerns  in  the  Territory,  are  kept  and  patronized 
by  non-Mormons. 

Eighty  per  cent,  of  all  litigation  in  the  Territory,  is  of 
outside  growth  and  promotion. 

Over  eighty  per  cent,  of  suicides,  homicides,  and  in- 
fanticides, in  the  Territory,  are  perpetrated  by  the  17 
per  cent,  of  non-Mormons. 

The  Mormon  population  are  peaceful,  law-abiding, 
industrious,  temperate,  social,  hospitable,  and  honest,  as 
a  rule. 

They  built  several  hundred  miles  of  both  railroad  and 
telegraph,  through  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  have 
built  all  the  other  railroads  and  telegraph  lines  in  Utah. 

They  have  paid  the  expense  of  emigrating  more  than 
50,000  of  the  industrious  poor  from  Europe,  and  many 
of  these  are  now  among  our  most  thriving  farmers  and 
artisans. 

In  1830  Joseph  Smith  organized  a  church  of  but  six 
members.  The  present  month  was  52  years  since  that 
occurred.  In  that  time,  the  doctrines  he  promulgated 
have  been  preached  to  every  nation  of  the  civilized  world, 


552  THE    PROPHET    OF   PALMYRA. 

and  the  present  number  of  believers  in  this  doctrine, 
and  members  of  the  Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  called 
Mormons,  reach  the  enormous  number  of  nearly  300,000, 
counting  all  ages,  of  white  population,  and  representing 
a  property  value  of  over  $100,000,000. 

In  all  honesty  and  fairness,  can  this  people  truthfully 
be  called  poor,  ignorant,  indolent,  criminal,  or  unchris- 
tian? Judge  them  by  their  fruits. 


